Senator Lisa Murkowski. Photo Courtesy of Politico.
On July 1, the U.S. Senate voted to pass the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which is currently on its way to be passed into law, according to the White House.
In a clip provided by Time, J.D. Vance is seen reading off the tabulated votes, 50 yeas, 50 nays — a divided Senate. He affirms that the bill, as amended, is passed.
This bill highlights numerous issues that the Trump administration seeks to tackle.
Some key issues mentioned in the 887-page document include Medicaid and food stamp restrictions, various tax credits and deductions, environmental funding cuts, and thousands of other concerns.
U.S. citizens can expect changes, with some provisions lasting until 2034, such as an increase in 11.8 million Americans losing SNAP benefits, as reported by PBS.
On June 28, The Hill stated that Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah initially proposed selling large portions of public lands within the U.S., but ultimately withdrew the measure, citing concerns of budget and foreign entities — such as China or BlackRock — wanting to purchase U.S. land.
However, according to page 168 of the 887-page bill, Alaska land remains available for oil and gas extraction leases.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, the final senator to vote, initially stated that she did not support the bill. She ultimately voted in favor of the bill, resulting in a tie.
In an interview with NBC’s Ryan Nobles, Murkowski said she voted yea because she advocated for Alaska’s interests, despite disliking the bill and how it might impact residents outside of Alaska.
According to AP News, Murkowski supports the tax cuts but had reservations about cutting Medicaid — which covers health care for roughly one-third of Alaska’s population.
Alaska is mentioned in the “One Big Beautiful Bill” around 19 times, largely concerning oil and gas leasing, charitable deductions for expenses supporting Native Alaskan subsistence whaling endeavors and revisiting the Thrifty Food Plan.
The bill aims to boost U.S. oil and gas production by leasing 18.86 million acres of Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve, as reported by Reuters.
Charitable deductions for whaling would increase from $10,000 to $50,000, as negotiated by Murkowski.
The bill also suggests cost adjustments to reflect the cost of food in urban and rural Alaska.
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