Trump Action Archive

Supporting reports

• FCC suspends prison phone price caps, blocking enforcement of 2024 rule — FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced Monday that the FCC will no longer enforce a 2024 rule capping in-state prison phone calls at $0.06–$0.07 per minute. The suspension applies until April 1, 2027, during which the FCC will consider permanent changes. The 2024 rule, which reduced call costs from as much as $11.35 to $0.90 for a 15-minute call, was mandated by the Martha Wright-Reed Just and Reasonable Communications Act of 2022. FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez objected, stating the suspension violates the statute and Congress's directive. The rule also banned kickbacks to prison operators; those remain suspended.
• FCC cites corporate claims rather than evidence in justifying suspension of prison phone price caps — In the order suspending the 2024 price-cap rule, the FCC explicitly cited "financial burdens" on prison operators and claimed that without commissions or high prices, many facilities would stop allowing incarcerated people to make phone calls. According to Popular Information's reporting, this conclusion is "largely based on claims made to the FCC by the corporations profiting from the existing system," rather than independent evidence or analysis.
• FCC postponed prison phone rate reduction rules for two years — FCC Chairman Brendon Carr announced the agency would postpone rules passed unanimously in 2024 to reduce prison and jail phone rates for two years. FCC Commissioner Anna M. Gomez said the postponement was "shielding a broken system that inflates costs and rewards kickbacks to correctional facilities at the expense of incarcerated individuals and their loved ones." The delay blocks consumer protections.
• GEO Group and CoreCivic donated to Trump campaign and inauguration while benefiting from FCC suspension — During the 2024 campaign, GEO Group's PAC made the maximum contribution to Trump's campaign; CEO Brian Evans and board chairman George Zoley each donated $11,600 to Trump Save America Joint Fundraising Committee. GEO Acquisition II, a GEO Group subsidiary, donated $1 million to Make America Great Again PAC. After Trump's election, GEO Group and CoreCivic each donated $500,000 to Trump's inauguration committee. Both Tom Homan (Trump's border czar) and Attorney General Pam Bondi have received payments from GEO Group—Homan as a consultant in 2023–2024, Bondi as a lobbyist in 2019.

Supporting reports

• Reconciliation bill cuts SNAP nutrition assistance by $186 billion — Trump's reconciliation megabill slashes Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funding by $186 billion, primarily by shifting financial responsibility from the federal government to states. The bill reduces federal contribution for administrative costs to 25% and requires states to pay a portion of benefit costs based on their benefit error rate. It also imposes work requirements on individuals with children aged 14 or older and those between ages 50–64. SNAP currently serves 22.5 million households with an average monthly benefit of $353.
• Reconciliation bill includes $930 billion in Medicaid cuts — Trump's reconciliation megabill cuts Medicaid funding by $930 billion through two mechanisms: imposing strict work requirements on most adults without children or with children 15 or older, and severely restricting taxes states can charge healthcare providers. The provider tax restriction would cost rural hospitals $119 billion over ten years despite a $25 billion rural hospital fund. Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) secured an additional amendment to further cut Medicaid spending for states that expanded coverage under the Affordable Care Act. Approximately 71 million people rely on Medicaid, with rural communities particularly vulnerable.
• Reconciliation bill projected to increase uninsured population by 11.8 million — The Congressional Budget Office analysis estimates Trump's reconciliation megabill would increase the number of uninsured Americans by 11.8 million by 2034. An additional 4.2 million people will lose health insurance when enhanced premium credits under the Affordable Care Act expire. The bill also makes it harder for people to enroll in ACA marketplaces. Larry Levitt of the Kaiser Family Foundation characterized the bill as "the biggest rollback in federal support for health care ever."
• Senate bill cuts $930 billion from Medicaid — The revised Senate budget reconciliation bill proposes cuts of $930 billion from Medicaid, which is more than the House version. This measure is expected to result in 11.8 million Americans losing their health insurance, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Major health systems in Louisiana have warned that these cuts would have devastating effects on healthcare access in the state.
• Senate Republicans advance budget reconciliation bill cutting social safety net and increasing taxes on wealthy — Senate Republicans moved forward with a budget reconciliation bill that cuts healthcare for 16 million people, reduces nutrition benefits for children by the largest amount in U.S. history, provides tax breaks to wealthy individuals and corporations, and is projected to increase the national debt by $3.3 trillion over ten years. Democratic senators offered amendments to reduce corporate tax cuts and protect healthcare and food assistance, but none passed. The bill represents a shift in government spending priorities away from social safety net protections established during the New Deal era.
• Trump administration cuts $186 billion from SNAP in One Big Beautiful Bill Act — In July 2025, Republicans passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which cut approximately $186 billion from SNAP programs. This reduction significantly diminished the program's capacity to serve beneficiaries and preceded the current shutdown crisis by several months.
• Republicans cut approximately $1 trillion in Medicaid funding over ten years — In the July 2025 budget reconciliation bill, Republicans implemented cuts of approximately $1 trillion in Medicaid funding over the next ten years. These cuts, combined with the work requirement, are projected to force up to 15 million people to lose Medicaid coverage, with implementation deliberately delayed until after the 2026 midterm elections to avoid immediate political consequences.
• Republicans implemented work requirement on Medicaid enrollees in budget reconciliation bill — In the July 2025 budget reconciliation bill, Republicans placed a "work requirement" on Medicaid enrollees, requiring them to prove they have a job or a valid exemption. The requirement functions as a "paperwork requirement" that will disqualify people legally entitled to Medicaid coverage who fail to file the correct documentation, with estimates suggesting up to 15 million people are at risk of losing coverage.
• Republicans refused to extend ACA marketplace subsidies in budget reconciliation bill — In the July 2025 budget reconciliation bill, Republicans refused to extend subsidies that enabled people to afford healthcare insurance in the Affordable Care Act marketplaces. This decision directly reversed a key mechanism that had expanded affordable health coverage to millions of Americans, forcing healthier individuals out of insurance pools and driving up premiums for those remaining.

Supporting reports

• CBO scored Senate bill adding $3.9 trillion to national debt — The Congressional Budget Office published a "current policy" score of the Senate reconciliation bill, finding it would add over $3.9 trillion to the national debt. The bill includes roughly $4.45 trillion in net tax cuts and nearly $300 billion in gross spending increases, partially offset by nearly $1.5 trillion in gross spending cuts. The CBO also found the Senate bill will result in 11.8 million people losing health insurance, compared to 10.9 million in the House version.
• Congressional Budget Office projects $3.3 trillion debt increase from tax cuts — The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office reported that tax cuts in the Republican budget reconciliation bill will increase the national debt by $3.3 trillion over ten years, despite $1.2 trillion in cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, NIH, CDC, and other programs over the same period. The analysis demonstrates that spending reductions will not offset the revenue loss from tax cuts.
• U.S. economy contracted 0.5% in first quarter — The U.S. economy shrank by 0.5% in the first quarter of 2025, exceeding economists' expectations of a 0.2% contraction. The decline is attributed to President Trump's tariff war and weaker consumer spending. This represents a significant slowdown from the strong economic performance inherited from the Biden administration, which had led the world in productivity.
• Reconciliation bill increases federal deficit by at least $3.3 trillion — Despite deep cuts to Medicaid and nutrition assistance, Trump's reconciliation megabill increases the federal deficit by at least $3.3 trillion over the next ten years, according to Congressional Budget Office analysis. This far exceeds the $2.4 trillion deficit increase under the House version. The Senate number could increase further if money-saving provisions are required to be cut as part of the reconciliation process.

Supporting reports

• Senate bill would expand ICE detention and enforcement capacity — The Senate reconciliation bill would provide ICE with $45 billion for detentions (on top of current $3.4 billion annual budget), $14.4 billion for transportation and removal (on top of current $750 million), and $8 billion for hiring through fiscal year 2029. Immigration experts warn this could make ICE the nation's largest jailer, with more detention funding than the entire federal Bureau of Prisons and more officers than the FBI.
• Senate allocates additional funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement — The Senate budget reconciliation bill includes an additional $45 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), significantly increasing its budget for detaining migrants. This funding is on top of the existing annual budget of $3.4 billion and includes provisions for new hires and retention.
• Budget reconciliation bill allocates $45 billion for migrant detention — The Republican budget reconciliation bill includes $45 billion for migrant detention by Immigration and Customs Enforcement over five years, more than thirteen times the current annual ICE detention budget of $3.4 billion. The bill also allocates $14.4 billion for transportation and removal, compared to the current annual budget of $750 million. Trump demanded passage by July 4 partly because the Department of Homeland Security has exhausted its budget.
• Reconciliation bill allocates $172 billion for immigration enforcement crackdown — Trump's reconciliation megabill includes $172 billion to finance a massive immigration crackdown, exceeding the annual military spending of every country except China. The funding includes $45 billion for ICE immigration jails (more than 13 times the current budget), $14.4 billion for ICE enforcement and removal actions, $8 billion for hiring and retention, and $50 billion for completing the southern border wall. The funding would give ICE a larger jail budget than the Federal Bureau of Prisons and enable hiring more agents than the FBI.
• Reconciliation bill includes $158 billion in new defense spending — Trump's reconciliation megabill includes $158 billion in new defense spending, including $25 billion to initiate the "Golden Dome," a space-based missile defense system that many experts believe will be ineffective and may ultimately cost as much as $500 billion. The bill also includes $29 billion for new ships, $23 billion for munitions, and $15 billion for nuclear weapons. Most funding will be funneled to military contractors. Combined with the Trump administration's budget request, total annual U.S. military spending will exceed $1 trillion.
• Senate passes Trump immigration enforcement spending bill with $170bn for ICE — The Senate passed Trump's spending bill on Tuesday, with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote. The measure allocates approximately $170bn for immigration and border enforcement, including $45bn for detention centers (enabling 116,000 daily detentions), $46.6bn for border wall construction, and new fees on asylum applications ($100 plus $100 annually). The bill caps immigration judges at 800 despite millions of pending cases and would enable indefinite family detention, potentially violating the Flores settlement. Critics warn the spending will supercharge mass deportations and restrict humanitarian protections.
• Congress allocates $170.7 billion for immigration and border enforcement over four years — Legislation, referred to as Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill," allocates $170.7 billion to immigration and border enforcement programs over the next four years. This represents a significant increase compared to ICE's current annual budget of approximately $8 billion, substantially expanding resources for mass deportation and immigration enforcement operations.
• Trump administration signs One Big Beautiful Bill Act allocating $6bn to US-Mexico border surveillance expansion — President Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBA) into law on July 4, 2025, providing $165bn in additional funding to the Department of Homeland Security over four years, with more than $6bn earmarked for border surveillance technology. The funding supports biometric systems ($673m), surveillance towers ($140m), social media monitoring, license plate readers, and phone hacking capabilities. Private contractors including Palantir, Anduril, the GEO Group, Core Civic, and facial recognition firms stand to profit significantly from the expansion.
• Trump administration expands ICE funding and personnel by 50% to support mass deportation campaign — President Trump's megabill, enacted July 4, 2025, allocates an additional $76.5 billion to Immigration and Customs Enforcement over four years and authorizes hiring 10,000 additional ICE staff—a 50% personnel increase. White House Senior Adviser Stephen Miller stated the administration aims for a minimum of 3,000 ICE arrests daily, targeting one million arrests annually. Currently, 71.1% of those in ICE detention have no criminal conviction. The expansion is intended to fulfill Trump's mass deportation campaign promise.
• One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed into law, funding ICE at military-scale budget levels — On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act into law. The legislation, forced through Congress by Republicans, slashes social programs while allocating ICE funding at levels comparable to the U.S. Army budget. The act enables ICE to recruit new agents aggressively, offering $50,000 signing bonuses and student loan forgiveness, with the stated goal to "defend the homeland" and "flood the zone" with agents in sanctuary cities.

Supporting reports

• Reconciliation bill projected to increase uninsured population by 11.8 million — The Congressional Budget Office analysis estimates Trump's reconciliation megabill would increase the number of uninsured Americans by 11.8 million by 2034. An additional 4.2 million people will lose health insurance when enhanced premium credits under the Affordable Care Act expire. The bill also makes it harder for people to enroll in ACA marketplaces. Larry Levitt of the Kaiser Family Foundation characterized the bill as "the biggest rollback in federal support for health care ever."
• Trump administration backs Republican budget bill with major cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, and ACA subsidies — The Trump administration is vigorously supporting a Republican budget bill that would cut over $1.4 trillion in health and food assistance while extending over $3 trillion in tax cuts disproportionately benefiting the wealthy. The Congressional Budget Office projects the lowest-earning 10% of Americans would lose an average of $1,600 in income (3.9% drop), while the top 10% would gain $12,000 on average. The bill would cause 7 million people, including over 2 million children, to lose food aid, and an estimated 16 million Americans would lose health coverage.