On July 4, 2025, President Donald Trump signed the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill.” Headlines quickly focused on its said promises; however, the implications were often left out of the picture. USF students may soon face the very real effects of this legislation, which is intended to redefine the government’s involvement in daily life.
The bill, officially introduced as H.R. 1 in the 119th Congress, has been described by supporters as a needed change to get government spending and management under control. However, critics say the legislation does more than just cut red tape; it cuts deeply into programs that many students and working families rely on. Fears of college students across the country were recently highlighted in a CNBC article: “I’m cooked,” one student said, referring to the potential loss of access to aid and support systems that the bill threatens to dismantle.
Stephen Zunes, a professor of politics at USF and director of Middle Eastern studies argued, “Essentially, it is part of pushing wealth upward to enrich the wealthiest at the expense of everybody else. And it’s about essentially destroying or severely damaging some of the key functions of government that modern industrial societies have had in place for many decades now.”
According to Zunes, the legislation follows a long-standing trend within U.S. politics. “It follows a trend…to weaken regulatory agencies that protect workers or consumers and the environment, thereby enabling greater profits for those who own these industries,” he said.
For USF students, the difficulty is to translate national developments into a reality. On paper, what appears to be a wide government restructure may result in actual changes to tuition, services and student life.
Zunes talked about a few important issues for USF students, including affordability, which is put at risk by the bill’s limitations on financial aid and low-cost loans. He also stated that government initiatives that assist children from minority groups and first-generation families may be cut. Schools may alter the campus culture in addition to their budgets if they are pushed to reduce LGBTQ+ support services, diversity and inclusion programs, and even academic freedom in Middle Eastern Studies.
Lastly, Zunes said there are limits on what students can say, which have already been put in place at some schools, mostly for pro-Palestinian voices. This could become more common, which would make people even more worried about free speech.
Ian Godfrey, a sophomore English major, said,“I think what we’re seeing with the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ is just a continuation, or maybe a culmination, of the kind of stuff Trump and people similar to him do. There’s a lot of downside. There’s no one who supports him who can reflect on what they think is right,” Godfrey said.
Still, Godfrey was clear about why students should pay attention. “Anything that has any financial impact will affect college students in some way. Even if it’s not directly about college, if a political decision affects the prices of gas or groceries, that’s super important for students commuting or just buying what they need,” he said.
How USF implements these changes into students’ daily lives will determine the effect this bill will have on campus.
