Longtime Trump Ally Suddenley Turns Against GOP's 'Big, Beautiful' Bill
Marjorie Taylor Greene admits to voting for the bill without reading its full contents.
Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a prominent supporter of former President Donald Trump, sparked controversy this week when she publicly acknowledged that she had not read the entirety of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act—a key piece of legislation championed by Trump—and announced she no longer supports it. This revelation adds Greene to a growing chorus of MAGA-aligned House Republicans who have distanced themselves from the bill, despite having voted for it just two weeks prior.
The dissent within Republican ranks has intensified, with Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania—another core member of the House Freedom Caucus and Trump loyalist—echoing frustrations regarding the bill’s content and the process by which it was passed. “We expect MASSIVE improvements from the Senate before it gets back to the House,” Perry declared, highlighting deep divisions over the legislation’s current form. The criticism comes amid high-profile condemnation from figures outside Congress, including billionaire Elon Musk, who vehemently criticized House leadership’s handling of the bill on social media.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which advanced through the House by a razor-thin margin after extensive late-night negotiating sessions in the office of Speaker Mike Johnson, was marketed as a linchpin for the Trump agenda. The measure promises sweeping changes, including robust investments in border security, substantial boosts to domestic energy production, and significant tax cuts. Yet, as the Senate begins deliberations on the controversial proposal, Republican opposition—including from some of Trump’s most dedicated allies—threatens its future.
Fueling much of the backlash is the bill’s projected impact on the federal deficit. According to a new report from the Congressional Budget Office, the legislation would slash taxes by $3.7 trillion, but at the price of raising deficits by $2.4 trillion over the next decade. This fiscal alarmism has grown more acute as the national debt soars, topping $36.2 trillion as of June 4. Concerns that the bill is a “debt bomb ticking”—as characterized by Musk—have gained traction among fiscal conservatives.
However, for Greene, the central issue lies elsewhere: a rarely discussed provision found deep within the bill that restricts state regulation of artificial intelligence (AI) for ten years. The provision, spanning pages 278-279, would prohibit states from enacting or enforcing any laws regulating AI systems in interstate commerce during that period. Greene, who admits she missed this clause during her initial review, now calls it a “violation of state rights” and insists she would have voted against the bill had she been aware of it. She is now demanding the Senate strip out the AI language before the bill returns to the House, declaring she will oppose it otherwise.
Elon Musk’s newfound public criticism—buoyed by his recent departure from his official government role overseeing the Department of Government Efficiency—has only amplified conservative resistance. Musk described the bill as “massive, outrageous, pork-filled” and condemned lawmakers who supported it. While the White House maintains that Trump remains fully behind the measure, press secretary Karoline Leavitt asserted, “This is one big, beautiful bill, and he’s sticking to it.”
As Senate negotiations commence, the future of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act remains deeply uncertain. Internal divisions over fiscal responsibility, executive overreach, and the future of AI regulation signal a tumultuous path ahead for one of the most consequential legislative efforts of Trump’s political resurgence.
