In May 2025, social media lit up with claims that the “One Big Beautiful Bill”—a sweeping legislative proposal backed by President Donald Trump—contained a provision allowing the president to cancel or delay federal elections. Despite gaining traction online, the claim has been thoroughly debunked by fact-checkers and analysts.
The rumor originated from viral posts on Facebook and Reddit, falsely asserting that H.R. 1 included language giving the executive branch legal power to postpone or cancel elections. However, a detailed search of the bill’s full text revealed no such provisions. The terms “president” and “executive” appear multiple times in the bill, but never in connection with elections or electoral authority.
Misinformation surrounding the bill didn’t end there. As the legislation advanced through Congress—passing the House by a single vote and facing a contentious path in the Senate—Trump and his allies circulated misleading financial claims aimed at easing public concern.
At the heart of the dispute is the bill’s projected impact on the national deficit. While the White House claimed the bill represents “the largest deficit reduction in nearly 30 years,” independent analyses by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB), and the Penn Wharton Budget Model estimated the bill would increase the deficit by $1.7 to $3.8 trillion over a decade, primarily due to tax cut extensions (FactCheck.org, 2025; The New York Times, 2025).
Trump administration officials and Republican lawmakers have repeatedly asserted that spending cuts—particularly to Medicaid—target only “waste, fraud, and abuse.” However, this characterization has been disputed by health policy experts. According to a CBO estimate, the bill would reduce federal Medicaid spending by at least $600 billion over 10 years, cutting access to healthcare for over 10 million low-income Americans (The New York Times, 2025). Most of these cuts are not related to fraud prevention, but rather to structural changes such as work requirements, shorter enrollment periods and limits on retroactive payments.
Republicans within the Senate have expressed concern. Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin labeled the bill “completely unsustainable,” citing its long-term fiscal burden (NPR, 2025). Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri warned that deep Medicaid cuts were both “morally wrong and politically suicidal” (NPR, 2025). Nevertheless, Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson have defended the bill’s provisions, insisting that growth from tax reforms will offset spending hikes—an assertion at odds with most budget models.
Ultimately, misinformation about the bill’s contents and impact appears to be driven by a combination of social media distortion and politically motivated messaging. While the bill does contain sweeping changes to tax policy, social services, and federal spending priorities, it does not grant the president power to alter election timelines. Claims suggesting otherwise are false.
As the bill advances in the Senate under the budget reconciliation process, which allows passage with a simple majority, additional amendments are expected. Some provisions—particularly those unrelated to the federal budget—may be stripped due to Senate rules.
Until then, Americans are encouraged to rely on verified sources rather than viral posts when evaluating the bill’s real consequences.
References
FactCheck.org. (2025, May 29). Checking the Math on White House, GOP Claims About ‘Big Beautiful Bill’. https://www.factcheck.org/2025/05/checking-the-math-on-white-house-gop-claims-about-big-beautiful-bill/
NPR. (2025, June 2). The GOP megabill is moving to the Senate, where big changes could be in store. https://www.npr.org/2025/06/02/g-s1-69967/trump-congress-republicans-reconciliation-medicaid
Snopes. (2025, May 27). What to Know About Claim Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Gives President Power to Delay or Cancel Elections. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-big-beautiful-cancel-elections/
The New York Times. (2025, June 2). Trump and Allies Sell Domestic Policy Bill With Falsehoods. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/02/us/politics/trump-big-beautiful-bill-facts.html
