Amen. But Washington could not simply remove an unconstitutional tax. It buried that $200 benefit inside a much larger package.
It did, and that is a real benefit. But the $200 is NOT saved,
CBO estimates that the enacted law will add $3.4 trillion to federal deficits, plus $718 billion in additional interest through 2034, for a total of about $4.1 trillion. Using the present population, that is roughly $12,000 in additional federal borrowing for every American. That is a measure of scale, not an individual invoice, but the debt and interest still have to be carried by taxpayers and their descendants.
https://www.cbo.gov/publication/61466
The law also appropriated $45 billion for ICE detention capacity and another $29.85 billion for ICE personnel, bonuses, transportation, technology, facilities, vehicles, local enforcement agreements and removal operations, $74.85 billion in additional ICE funding through September 2029.
What are we presently receiving? (aside from the 200 tax and of course subsequent real benefit)
ICE reported 442,637 returns or removals in fiscal year 2025. Through July 11 of fiscal year 2026 it reported 356,389, a pace of roughly 458,000 for the year. That would be a record, but it is only modestly above the previous year, not the expectation used to sell an expansion of this size. ICE was also holding 65,765 people in detention at that point.
The additional money runs through 2029, so the buildout is not complete. That is precisely the point: the detention facilities, personnel, contracts, databases, vehicles and technology are being made permanent. The debt remains, the interest remains, and later administrations inherit the machinery.
Now, if we are going to praise the bill for one visible benefit, perhaps we should discuss what else came with it
We at least escaped the most obvious AI provision. The Senate voted 99–1 to remove the proposed ten year prohibition against state and local enforcement of AI laws.
But that was not the end of the project. The final law still funded:
- $450 million for applying autonomy and AI to naval shipbuilding.
- $200 million for automation and AI in Defense Department financial audits.
- $124 million for military AI testing capabilities.
- $145 million for AI enabling one-way attack aerial and naval systems.
- $250 million for advancement of the Defense Department AI ecosystem.
- $250 million for Cyber Command AI programs.
- $150 million for Department of Energy work involving curated federal data and “self improving” AI models.
- A $6.168 billion border technology account covering a larger package that expressly includes AI, machine learning, autonomous surveillance capabilities, biometric addmitance systems, border surveillance and screening technology.
The law defines those autonomous border capabilities as systems using AI, machine learning, computer vision or other algorithms to detect, identify, classify and track targets in real time and make operational adjustments without continuous human command or control.
So…AI to replace border agents?
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-119publ21/html/PLAW-119publ21.htm
Trump issued an executive order declaring it federal policy to maintain “global AI dominance.”
That’s pretty cool, except global dominance means just what it sounds like, GLOBAL FUCKING AI DOMINATION.
The order created an AI Litigation Task Force to challenge state AI laws, directed the government to identify disfavored state laws, permitted federal grants to be conditioned on states not enforcing them, ordered consideration of federal standards that would preempt state law, and directed preparation of federal preemption legislation.
You do not have to accept this all paints the picture Trump is a globalist. Look at the structure for yourself, trillions in additional federal borrowing, a greatly expanded federal enforcement apparatus, federally funded AI and biometric systems, autonomous tracking technology, and an express effort to override the states.
That is not limited government, state sovereignty or decentralization.
That is the Trojan horse.
The first attempt was too visible and was defeated. The machinery remained, and the same objective returned through smaller appropriations, agency programs, funding conditions, litigation and executive action.
A little authority here, a little funding there, a new database, a new definition, another “temporary” enforcement power and eventually Americans wake up inside a system they would never have accepted had it been presented whole.
So!
I don’t know about you all, but I don’t want to be dealing with walking dead like conditions so I’m watching the droid developments
particularly open source programmable so a completed @Kilroy’s personality can be uploaded with a few different threat level assessments to
take along for grocery shopping, dog walking and playing songs on request too!
There’s more to di$cu$$ concerning the BBB but it’s rather pointless now,
