One Big Beautiful bill passes with CNMI wins
The House on Thursday passed the Senate amendment to H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, securing important wins for the people of the Marianas. The legislation provides lasting economic relief for working families by permanently increasing the maximum Child Tax Credit from $2,000 to $2,200 per child. It also eliminates federal taxes on tips and overtime pay, and raises tax deductions for seniors. Crucially, H.R. 1 preserves funding for the CNMI’s Medicaid and Nutrition Assistance Programs. While the bill seeks to root out fraud in federal welfare programs through various reforms, these changes will not affect our block grants. The bill keeps the CNMI’s Medicaid funding structure intact with an 83 percent federal match rate and roughly $66 million, while our nutrition assistance program grant, negotiated between the CNMI and USDA, is also untouched. I worked to ensure the reconciliation bill would not affect these vital programs that so many of our residents depend on. Additionally, President Trump’s tax and spending plan allocates increased resources for border protection, bolsters funding for national defense initiatives, and safeguards key taxpayer-funded programs. The bill now goes to the President who’s expected to quickly sign it into law.