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PPI Report Warns Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ is Doubling Down on Biden’s ‘Build Back Better’ Mistakes

• May 5, 2025
• Ben Ritz

WASHINGTON — As President Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans begin drafting a sweeping “Big Beautiful Bill” to implement their second-term economic agenda, a new report from the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) warns that the GOP’s reconciliation effort risks repeating — and exacerbating — the economic and political mistakes of President Biden’s failed “Build Back Better” plan.

The report, “How Trump’s BBB is Shaping Up to Be an Even Bigger Mess Than Biden’s,” authored by Ben Ritz, PPI’s Vice President of Policy Development, argues that despite the difference in their origins and ideological goals, the BBBs of Joe Biden and Donald Trump have far more in common than just their initials. The two presidents’ signature spending plans share deep structural flaws stemming from poor leadership, unreasonable campaign promises, misleading budget gimmicks, and a refusal to reckon with inflationary risks.

“Joe Biden’s approach to party-line reconciliation bills was arguably the biggest failure of his presidency,” said Ritz. “Trump and Congressional Republicans are now on track to make all the same mistakes — but on a much larger scale, with even greater risks to the economy and their own political standing.”

In the report, Ritz outlines a series of parallels — and troubling new developments — that suggest Trump’s BBB could be even more economically reckless and politically damaging than the one pursued by his Democratic predecessor:

• Both Overpromised And Refused to Set Priorities: Biden refused to set realistic priorities or grapple with tradeoffs as he sought to pass a grab bag of policies from the wishlists of left-leaning interest groups. But Trump has demonstrated even weaker leadership by seeking to incorporate a cacophony of even more costly and conflicting demands within his BBB.
• Both Tied Their Hands With Shortsighted Tax Pledges: Whereas Biden’s pledge never to raise taxes on any household earning under $400K made it impossible to fully pay for his spending priorities, Trump’s campaign promises to cut taxes on tips, overtime pay, Social Security benefits, and more could deepen deficits by nearly $9 trillion over 10 years.
• Both Relied on Procedural Gimmicks Masking Real Tradeoffs: Democrats used procedural tricks to make their BBB appear deficit-neutral and punt difficult political decisions until it was too late. Republicans are now utilizing similar gimmicks but aren’t even attempting to achieve deficit-neutrality. Even worse, they’re attempting to employ new gimmicks that would permanently erode the integrity of the budget process and open the door to tens of trillions of dollars in new deficit spending down the line.
• Both Exhibited A Cavalier Attitude Towards Inflation: When confronted with rising inflation, the Biden administration paid lip service to cutting costs but continued to pursue inflationary policies. Trump has doubled down on this attitude during his second term, relying on the exact same excuses and scapegoats to justify his budget-busting policies. 
• Costs Are Greater Today Than in 2021: Unlike in Biden’s first year, today’s high interest rates and record debt servicing costs mean fiscal recklessness will inflict even greater harm on American families. Independent estimates show that Trump’s BBB could reduce real wealth by more than $36,000 per household and put the U.S. economy in unprecedented peril.

“Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans were elected on a promise to ‘End Inflation and Make America Affordable Again,’” Ritz said. “If they insist on betraying their democratic mandate by doubling down on inflationary economic policy, they should expect the same political fate as their predecessors.”

Read and download the report here.

Launched in 2018, the Progressive Policy Institute’s Center for Funding America’s Future works to promote a fiscally responsible public investment agenda that fosters robust and inclusive economic growth. To that end, the Center develops fiscally responsible policy proposals to strengthen public investments in the foundation of our economy, modernize health and retirement programs to reflect an aging society, transform our tax code to reward work over wealth, and put the national debt on a downward trajectory.

Founded in 1989, PPI is a catalyst for policy innovation and political reform based in Washington, D.C. Its mission is to create radically pragmatic ideas for moving America beyond ideological and partisan deadlock. Find an expert and learn more about PPI by visiting progressivepolicy.org. Follow us @PPI. 

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Media Contact: Ian O’Keefe – iokeefe@ppionline.org