Otto von Bismarck, the first chancellor of Germany, once famously quipped, "Laws are like sausages. It is best not to see them being made."
This analogy could be aptly applied to President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB), with one significant deviation.
Unlike the majority of legislation, the OBBB merits a thorough examination. However, the media seems more inclined to spotlight contentious issues such as the SALT deduction dispute and the proposed Medicaid work prerequisites.
What has largely escaped media scrutiny is the far more consequential dismantling of the Inflation Reduction Act's climate spending, or as Trump fittingly labels it, the "Green New Scam."
The OBBB may not be flawless, but it represents the most promising opportunity for conservatives to dismantle the Green New Scam, solidify Trump's tax cuts, and stabilize America's fiscal footing.
According to The Blaze, Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) recently asserted in a Wall Street Journal op-ed that the OBBB curtails "the most reckless parts of the engorged climate spending," recouping $6.5 billion in unspent funds. However, this figure barely scratches the surface of the actual expenditure.
Goldman Sachs has estimated the total value of the Inflation Reduction Act's climate spending at a staggering $1.2 trillion. Grok, X's artificial intelligence tool, suggests that the initial version of the OBBB would have left most of this colossal sum untouched.
Approximately $140 billion of the $1.2 trillion had already been expended by 2024, with a significant portion used to curry favor with politicians from red states. An additional $140 billion has been pledged but not yet disbursed. The Trump administration is currently embroiled in a legal battle to prevent this money from being spent.
However, the most shocking revelation comes from Grok's analysis, which projected that between $700 billion and $900 billion of the Green New Scam funds would remain unscathed under the original OBBB draft. This is not a minor discrepancy. It is two orders of magnitude away from Guthrie's $6.5 billion figure.
Thankfully, the House Freedom Caucus refused to back down.
Under the leadership of Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), the caucus insisted on a bill that upheld Trump's campaign promise to eradicate the Green New Scam. Roy stated on X, "Rather than just subsidizing $350B for states with high taxes we should pass a OBBB that FULLY terminates the Green New Scam and FULLY ends the Medicaid money laundering scam abused to hurt the vulnerable."
He added, "Writing a deficit-backed blank check (SALT) is easier than cutting spending (DOGE, Green New Scam, Post-COVID spending). Congress/swamp will always choose the easy route, but we can't afford it."
Roy's stance was justified. Although not entirely successful, the Freedom Caucus achieved a significant victory.
The House approved the OBBB on May 22 by a narrow margin of 215-214. Thanks to the Freedom Caucus, the bill slashes approximately $500 billion in wasteful Green New Scam spending. Half of the unspent funds have now been eliminated. The bill now awaits the Senate's decision.
One strategic advantage of the OBBB lies in its method of passage. Like the Inflation Reduction Act before it, the OBBB employs budget reconciliation a mechanism that circumvents the filibuster and requires only a simple majority. In this scenario, what was once a Democrat-only spending spree could now be repealed with a Republican-only rollback.
This could be seen as poetic justice or the only feasible option. Either way, reconciliation makes this repeal possible despite the lingering affection many subsidy-happy Republicans still harbor for the Green New Scam.
However, the most crucial aspect of the OBBB isn't about eliminating waste. It's about fostering growth.
The bill permanently enshrines Trump's 2017 tax cuts. This alone carries a projected value of $4 trillion over the next decade and prevents a $1,700 annual tax increase for the average American family.
Republicans who obstruct the OBBB over narrow interests risk handing Democrats a tax increase and possibly their own political demise in the 2026 midterms. This includes swing-district moderates who demand Green New Scam subsidies and fiscal hawks who resist anything short of a full repeal.
The key distinction? The pro-subsidy Republicans didn't vote for these climate programs in the first place. Yet, they're now willing to scuttle the entire bill to preserve them.
One Freedom Caucus member expressed optimism that the Senate might claw back more of the Green New Scam funds. That remains to be seen.
Returning to Bismarck's analogy, lawmaking may resemble sausage-making, but at least sausages leave a good taste behind. When executed correctly, so can legislation.
The OBBB may not be perfect, but it's the best shot conservatives have to dismantle the Green New Scam, lock in Trump's tax cuts, and put America's fiscal house on firmer ground.
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