The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Nowhere is this reality more apparent than in the U.S. education system.
The Big Beautiful Bill, introduced on May 20 and signed into law on July 4, covers every aspect of American life, from massive tax overhauls and immigration enforcement measures to climate and energy policies. Subtitles under Title VIII cover education, with its provisions only “beautiful” for the top 20 percent of earners who make over $153,600 a year rather than for the students affected.
Publicized as a tax-relief measure, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is threatening equal access to education nationwide by cutting resources for the majority to benefit the (wealthy) minority.
Title I funds are designed to support schools with high percentages of low-income students by providing extra resources for teachers. Medicaid reimbursements play a critical role in public education, paying for essential staff such as school nurses, therapists and mental health counselors.
This act slashes both streams of support, cutting Title I funding by $5.2 billion—a 26% reduction for 2026 alone—while gutting Medicaid services that many districts rely on. Without these funds, schools will face larger class sizes and reduced staff, leaving those who need the most help with the least support.
Along with these restrictions, the act expands state voucher programs, where families receive funds for private school or home schooling. Proponents claim that the vouchers expand choice for families, ignoring that funding for public schools is diverted to sustain voucher programs. Public schools lose resources when students exit, even though the operating costs remain the same.
This has been especially harmful to rural public schools, where every dollar matters. For example, Arizona’s universal voucher program led to enrollment declines in public schools, forcing several public schools to close.
The act also allocates $5 billion per year in tax credits for private donors who give money to private or religious schools. When donors pay less in taxes, the government collects less of the revenue public schools depend on.
Furthermore, the act creates new hurdles to accessing higher education for low-income families by changing student loan policies and enrollment requirements.
First, Grad PLUS loans for new borrowers will be phased out on July 1, 2026. This will limit how much graduate students can borrow through federal programs and may increase reliance on private lenders that often charge higher interest rates with fewer protections. This will make graduate and professional degrees less accessible, particularly in fields such as medicine, where students are already graduating with $200,000 in debt on average, even before the Big Beautiful Bill.
Supporters of the Big Beautiful Bill argue that such changes will reduce government spending, lower the national debt and save taxpayers $271 billion over a decade.
However, the short-term savings come at the cost of long-term economic growth. Education is the foundation of our society; the question isn’t whether the bill reduces spending on paper, but whether those savings are worth the price of denying education to millions of students across America—especially when today’s college students are already struggling to pay tuition.
Across the country, advocacy groups are campaigning and public opposition to the act is increasing.
As Northwood students, we can help raise awareness by writing to representatives, creating or sharing social media posts and joining advocacy campaigns. Our privilege gives us a platform, and we should use it to defend the future of public education.