Why it Matters

The House Ways and Means Committee held a field hearing Oct. 6 in Collierville, Tenn., titled "The One, Big, Beautiful Bill Delivering For Small Business, Manufacturing, And Working Families." The field hearing in Collierville, Tennessee, was framed around the law's benefits for small business, manufacturing and working families.

The Big Picture

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) was enacted as H.R. 1, Public Law 119-21 on July 4, 2025. The Collierville event follows earlier Ways and Means field hearings on the same bill that had locations including Simi Valley and Las Vegas.

A September PBS NewsHour analysis described Republicans promoting the law to voters, while noting a Congressional Budget Office estimate that it would increase the deficit by $3.4 trillion over a decade, and described its cuts to healthcare and food assistance. An AP report from the same month described the law's extension of earlier Trump-era tax cuts and new provisions covering tips, overtime pay, and certain auto-loan interest.

Bloomberg Government reported that Republicans used the field hearing to promote tax provisions of the law ahead of the midterms.

What They're Saying

The sharpest exchange involved the Section 199A pass-through deduction. Rep. David Kustoff (R-TN-8) announced he had filed a bill to raise the deduction from 20 percent to 23 percent and asked Mike Miller, owner of Patrick's Neighborhood Bar & Patio, whether it would help. Miller said, "Absolutely… We had hoped that we would have seen that last summer, but it got carved back out." Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO-8) replied: "The Senate does the Senate, and they reduced it down to 20 percent."

Wade Thomson, owner and president of Thomson Prestress, said: "Businesses do not grow on generous rules. They grow on predictable ones." He said his companies have invested, committed, or budgeted more than $6 million and hired approximately 50 employees since the law took effect.

Rep. Carol Miller (R-WV-1) said "Unfortunately, we don't have the other side of the aisle here representing because you do get different types of questions asked."

Access the Legis1 platform for comprehensive political news, data, and insights.

Spot something wrong? Report an issue with this article