'A rotting fish': Critics say new version of Trump's big bill will 'make America 1850 again'

29 June

President Donald Trump with Sen. John Thune and First Lady Melania Trump on January 8, 2025 (Office of Senator John Thune/Wikimedia Commons)

In a dramatic late-night session on Saturday, Senate Republicans narrowly cleared a critical procedural vote — 51‑49 — to advance President Donald Trump’s "Big, Beautiful Bill," that includes spending reductions and increased deportation funding, aiming for passage before Trump's July 4 deadline.

Meanwhile, political commentators and renewable energy advocates are sounding the alarm over the sharply revised version of the Senate budget megabill, warning it threatens to derail U.S. clean‑energy momentum.

Their concern centers on a late‐night addition: a new tax on future solar and wind projects that fail to certify they used no Chinese components, along with accelerated cuts to Inflation Reduction Act incentives.

The 900‑page “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” unveiled late Friday ahead of a looming July 4 passage deadline, includes two key energy provisions: A requirement that solar and wind projects be "placed in service" by December 31, 2027 to remain eligible for tax credits — touting a hard deadline rather than the original flexible 2032 benchmark. It also includes a brand‑new tax on any project started after that date unless it can fully demonstrate absence of Chinese-made components.

Lawmakers and political commentators took to social media to raise concerns over the additions.

Saikat Chakrabarti, who is running for Congress against Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) wrote on the social platform X: "Hawley caves once again," referring to Rep. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) who said he would vote yes on the bill, despite being undecided earlier.

"MAGA won by pretending they would fight for the working class, but they lied. This bill is the largest transfer of wealth ever from the working class to the ultra rich," Chakrabarti added.

He continued: "Democrats can become the party that fights tooth and nail for the working class now and completely decimate the fake populism of MAGA. That starts with a new generation of leaders. That’s why I’m running for Congress against Nancy Pelosi."

Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) wrote Saturday: "Whatever happens tonight, this thing isn’t over. This bill is a rotting fish. And the more time it gets in the sun, the more people are gonna realize how bad it stinks. Cuts Medicaid, shutters hospitals, blows up deficits, leaves people hungry, creates electricity shortages."

Ashley Schapitl, Managing Director at The Levinson Group, said in a post: "Not only does the latest version of the bill crush the growing U.S. solar and wind industries, it creates a new subsidy for COAL. Make America 1850 again."

Author James Surowieckiwrote, referring to tech billionaire Elon Musk's criticism of the bill" "When Musk is right, he's right. The Senate has somehow made the budget bill worse: taxing wind and solar projects, withdrawing tax credits (which are a reasonable attempt to account for the positive externalities of renewable energy), and adding a new subsidy for coal. Coal!"

Democratic strategist Armand Doma wrote: "The Trump reconciliation bill subsidized coal and whaling ships but increases taxes on solar power and batteries. Hard to describe how insanely backwards this is."

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