House Passes ‘Big, Beautiful Bill,’ Fulfilling President Trump’s Policy Agenda
The House of Representatives on Thursday narrowly passed a sweeping multi-trillion dollar bill known as President Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ to extend and add tax cuts and slash social safety net programs. Republicans overcame divisions within their party to deliver on President Trump’s central domestic agenda.
The final vote, 218 to 214, was mostly along party lines and came after Speaker Mike Johnson successfully dealt with resistance in his own ranks that threatened to derail the president’s signature measure.
All but two Republicans voted in favor, and Democrats unanimously opposed the measure. Representatives Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) were the only Republicans who voted against the bill.
Massie is a fiscal hawk who strongly opposes any measures that would increase the federal deficit. Representative Fitzpatrick is a moderate who has expressed concerns about the bills cuts to Medicaid.
Last Gasp Of Democratic Opposition
Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) took to the House floor Thursday morning and gave a speech that stretched for more than 8 hours and delayed a final vote on the legislation.
Jeffries’ speech broke the House record for the longest speech given in the lower house of Congress. Former Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) previously held the record at 8 hours and 32 minutes.
He was able to speak for so long because of a tradition called the “magic minute” which allows a House leader to speak indefinitely at the end of a debate. The move is often used as a substitute for the Senate’s filibuster.
Jeffries called the bill’s agenda “disgusting” and an “abomination” and argued the bill would hurt Americans by enacting the largest cuts to American healthcare in history. He also criticized the bill’s cuts to Planned Parenthood and SNAP food assistance benefits.
What’s In The Legislation
The legislation extends tax cuts enacted in 2017 during President Trump’s first term that had been scheduled to expire at the end of the year. It also adds new tax cuts Trump promised during this campaign, including some on tips and overtime pay.
Those cuts are expected to total cost of $4.5 trillion.
The bill also increases funding for defense and border security, while cutting nearly $1 trillion from Medicaid and reducing food assistance programs for lower-income Americans. Check out this Mo News Deep-Dive for details. It also phases out clean-energy tax credits passed under former President Biden.
The legislation also increases the government’s borrowing ability (the debt limit) by $5 trillion to over $40 trillion.
Republicans typically don’t like doing that, but the debt limit increase was seen as necessary to avert a federal debt default later this year.
Big Victory For Trump
The bill’s final passage is a major victory for President Trump after divisions among his party threatened to derail his signature legislation.
Ultimately, the GOP lined up almost unanimously behind the bill, fearing the consequences of voting against President Trump.
Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) who did cross Trump and voted against the bill announced he won’t run for reelection next year, just hours after Trump threatened to support primary challengers in the race for his Senate seat.
President Trump is expected to sign the bill this evening during a ceremony at the White House ahead of the July 4th deadline he imposed to pass the bill.
What Do Americans Think?
Polls show that the bill is currently deeply unpopular and Democrats have said it cuts critical government programs like Medicaid and SNAP food assistance to fund tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans.
Polling taken throughout June showed that Americans largely disapprove of the mega-bill.
Quinnipiac polling conducted June 22 to 24 and released last week found that 55% of voters oppose the bill, while 29% support it. Another 20% did not offer an opinion.
Several other recent polls showed the same widespread disapproval among Americans.
Fox News (38% favored vs. 59% opposed), KFF (64% viewed unfavorably, 35% viewed unfavorably) and Pew Research Center (49% opposed and 29% in favor).
But President Trump’s supporters largely view the legislation positively.
Among MAGA-supporting Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, 72% viewed the bill favorably, whereas only 33% of non-MAGA supporters agreed.
What’s Next
The Congressional Progressive Caucus plans to hold “Accountability Summer” events targeting Republican members who voted for the bill. They are planning news conferences outside rural hospitals and nursing homes in Republican districts that will be hit by Medicaid cuts.
