The U.S. Senate's passage of the 3.3 trillion U.S. dollars "One Big Beautiful Bill" will saddle American families with 38 U.S. dollars in new federal debt every day, compounding to 13,800 U.S. dollars annually.
On Tuesday, the Senate narrowly approved this tax and spending measure, projected to add to the deficit through 2034 as expanded tax cuts and military spending drive the national deficit toward a record 130 percent of GDP by 2030, burdening citizens with generational debt.
The legislation includes more spending on border security, defense and energy production, with cuts to healthcare, nutrition programs and electric vehicle subsidies. The bill extends U.S. President Donald Trump's 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which is set to expire at the end of 2025.
The mega-bill would add about 3.3 trillion dollars of deficit in the next decade, higher than the 2.8 trillion dollars of deficit in the version passed by the House of Representatives on May 22, according to the latest estimate by the Congressional Budget Office on Sunday.
The United States has approximately 132 million households. With the federal government adding nearly 5 billion U.S. dollars in new debt each day, this amounts to an increase of nearly 38 U.S. dollars in debt per household per day.
While the average American may not perceive the "Big Beautiful" legislative trajectory, they have certainly felt the effects of rising prices, higher interest rates, mounting medical bills, and student loan burdens. All of these are closely tied to the growing debt.
"Instead of generation of wealth, it will be generational of debt. So now your kids are going to owe something for something that you have done, well, it's not even nothing that you did, they are charging you for it and now and it just went up again. It's a 106,000 now per person. It keeps going up," said a local named Maylan.
Massive US debt bill shifts 38 U.S. dollars daily burden to households
A former television host from Taiwan, Zhai Xuan, has made a pivotal decision to leave mainstream broadcasting in order to create content that provides a better understanding of the Chinese mainland and cross-strait relations.
Zhai, a seasoned television host with over a decade of experience in Taiwan's media landscape, recently addressed an audience at an event in Beijing, where she revealed her complete transition into independent online media.
In her remarks, she articulated her aspiration to bridge what she perceives as a significant information gap between audiences on both sides of the Strait, highlighting her commitment to fostering a deeper understanding and connection through her new endeavors.
"I was really surprised by all the fake news. There were stories saying people on the mainland can't afford tea eggs or that they live in mud houses and in Taiwan, this was the main information many people received," said Zhai.
Zhai said she initially began producing online videos to challenge such perceptions while continuing her work as a television host.
In April 2025, she travelled to the mainland with her father to fulfill her late grandfather's wish to return to his hometown. The trip, which reunited family members separated since 1949, was recorded in a video series titled "Journey to Find Our Roots", drawing attention from viewers in both Taiwan and the mainland.
"Many people in Taiwan told me that after watching, they wanted to apply for a mainland travel permit immediately and go looking for their relatives. Some had long forgotten these things, but after seeing my story, they began thinking about their hometowns and family members they had never met and decided to search for their roots," Zhai shared her story at the event.
By mid-2025, Zhai said she began to feel increasing pressure amid rising political tensions and a tightening atmosphere around cross-Strait exchanges in Taiwan.
After more than 12 years in the industry, Zhai resigned from her position, believing it was the right thing to do.
"At that moment, I felt this was a major issue，not just for me, but for Chinese people on both sides of the Strait. If I backed down then, I wouldn’t be standing on the right side," said Zhai.
Since leaving television, Zhai has broadened her online programming to encompass a range of daily-life topics, including practical guidance on applying for a mainland travel permit and using commonly employed mobile applications, in addition to content that delves into historical memory and cultural connections across the Strait.
As the debate over cross-Strait relations continues in Taiwan, Zhai said she remains committed to her current path.
Former Taiwan TV host bridges cross-Strait divide via online media
