President Donald Trump signed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (H.R. 1) into law on July 4, a broad package of tax cuts and budget reductions that advocates say will stimulate the economy but opponents warn could threaten essential public services, particularly for students and low-income families in states like Florida.
The legislation, officially known as Public Law No. 119-21, makes permanent and expands several provisions from the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. These include a broader standard deduction, the elimination of income tax on tips and overtime pay and expanded child tax credits.
At the same time, the bill significantly cuts funding for a range of federal social programs. This includes nearly $1 trillion in projected Medicaid reductions over 10 years, stricter work requirements for recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the elimination of funding for certain federal education and public health grants.
Florida educators and policy experts say the bill could have immediate and long-term effects on students, particularly in underserved communities.
School Nutrition and SNAP Cuts:
Roughly 2.8 million Floridians rely on SNAP benefits, including hundreds of thousands of children whose eligibility for free and reduced-price school meals is tied to family participation in the program. Advocates worry that new work requirements and eligibility restrictions could lead to fewer students receiving adequate nutrition during the school day. This could cause an increase in cost of our school lunch, which is currently free.
Medicaid and Student Health Services:
Florida has one of the highest rates of uninsured children in the country. According to Midland News, many students rely on Medicaid for basic health care, speech and occupational therapy, and behavioral services provided through school districts. With projected Medicaid cuts of more than $900 billion nationwide, Florida’s public schools may lose critical support personnel, such as school nurses and mental health counselors.
“The Big Beautiful Bill has ripple effects that will hugely impact Florida schools, even in ways that seem unrelated. For example, the sizable cuts to Medicaid will mean that schools lose a large portion of the funding that would’ve previously gone to paying for school nurses, psychologists and even equipment used in special-ed classrooms,” Lucy Borunda (’25) said. “This bill is not just an attack on our economy, it’s an attack on the students who have to grow up facing the consequences.”
Reduced Federal Education Aid:
Although the bill does not directly eliminate K-12 education funding, it indirectly pressures states to cover shortfalls in areas like early childhood education and after-school programs. In Florida, where public school funding is already strained, there’s a fear that limited state dollars will force districts to make difficult decisions about staffing and programming.
“Federal support for student health and food programs plays a foundational role in keeping our kids in school and ready to learn,” Hillsborough County School Board member Jessica Vaughn tweeted. “When that support erodes, the burden falls on local school systems that are already stretched thin.”
Florida’s congressional delegation voted along party lines. Republican lawmakers praised the bill as a “historic win for taxpayers” and said it would attract businesses and working families to the state.
“This bill delivers the LARGEST tax cut for the working and middle class in history,” Senator Ashely Moody said in a press release. “This is just the beginning.”
Democrats, however, argue that the legislation disproportionately benefits the wealthy while cutting safety nets for the most vulnerable.
“This is not tax relief, this is a recipe for deeper inequality in our classrooms and communities,” Orlando Representative Maxwell Frost said, who voted against the measure.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the act could add more than $5 trillion to the national deficit over the next decade. State leaders will now face the challenge of filling budget gaps or reducing services.
In Florida, school boards, pediatric health providers and advocacy groups are closely monitoring how the cuts will be implemented.
The law’s tax provisions will take effect Jan. 1, 2026, while most spending reductions begin later that year.
