After a months-long battle in Congress, President Donald Trump has signed the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” over the weekend, meeting his self-imposed 4th of July deadline. Here at home, island leaders are sifting through the nearly 900-page multi-trillion-dollar spending and tax legislation and its full implications for Guam. 

With B-2 bombers flying overhead and cabinet members cheering at the White House, the president officially signed the “Big, Beautiful Bill Act” into law on Independence Day. "The golden age of America is upon us. We are in the golden age. It's going to be a period of time, the likes of which I don't think this country has ever experienced  before," said the president.

The sweeping domestic policy bill funds key priorities of Trump’s agenda, from tax cuts, defense and border security, while putting restrictions social safety nets. But it’s unclear what the full impacts will be for Guam, according to Acting Governor Josh Tenorio. 

"Despite the congressman giving us assurances about Medicaid, of course we are very concerned," Tenorio said. "Our teams are working with the other territories to come up with a comprehensive understanding about how these things are going to play out for the community."

Policy experts at Adelup are analyzing the nearly-900-page legislation, which includes hundreds of provisions. The delegate's office is also working with the Congressional Research Service to prepare a comprehensive, in depth report. That includes taking a closer look at the tax breaks, as Guam mirrors the federal income tax code. 

"Positive impacts I heard our president talk about are less taxes for Social Security earning, of course no taxes on tips for certain levels," said the acting governor. "Those are things I would say are positive, but of course have an underlying impact on the general fund revenues and making sure we have adequate revenues for the government to provide basic services."

Tenorio adds he’s worried about government entitlement programs such as food and housing assistance, as he continued, "In fact, our entire public schools are on free lunch. We do have a large amount of people living within the margins or under the poverty line and wanting to make sure that the programs are there to guarantee their nourishment and shelter is going to be there."

For the time being, the Congressional Budget Office says the bill will add trillions to the national debt, an estimate republicans have denied.