Republicans’ sweeping tax-and-spending bill that pushes forth President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda is awaiting his signature as the House of Representatives passed the legislation Thursday afternoon, a day earlier than the July 4 deadline the president set to have it on his desk to sign.
The vote was 218-214, with two Republican congressmen—Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY)—joining Democrats in voting “nay” on the bill.
The bill-signing ceremony is set for 5 p.m. ET on July 4, according to reports.
“This is without a doubt the most important vote of this Congress, and I think this may be the most important vote any of us take in our entire lifetimes,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said before the vote was taken. “My friends, the president of the United States is waiting with his pen. The American people are waiting for this relief. We’ve heard enough talk, it’s time for action. Let’s finish the job for them. Vote yes on the bill!”
The vote was delayed by a record-breaking speech on the House floor by Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) that lasted eight hours and 44 minutes. His speech, which started at around 5 a.m. Thursday morning, surpassed the record of eight hours and 32 minutes set by former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in 2021.
“I’m going to take my time,” Jeffries said before launching into a marathon excoriation of the legislation, its Medicaid cuts, and its Republican backers. “Shame on this institution if this bill passes.”
The Senate version of the tax bill was passed Tuesday on a vote of 51-50, with the tie-breaking vote cast by Vice President JD Vance. Three Republicans joined with all 47 Democrats in the Senate in voting against the bill. House Republicans narrowly passed their version of the tax-and-spending bill in late May by a 215-214 vote.
The House almost failed to overcome a procedural vote on debate rules, which started Wednesday night and lasted until the early hours of this morning, that could have resulted in the overall bill being stalled in the lower chamber of Congress. A number of House Republican lawmakers had said openly they wouldn’t support a rushed process to approve the bill. But a floor vote on debate rules kept open by Johnson throughout the night kept conversations active and ultimately swayed the holdouts.
- Related article: Trump Tax Bill Passes House, Trump to Sign on July 4
- Related article: Trump Tax Bill Passes Senate
- Related article: House Passes Sweeping ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ After Weeks of Arm-Twisting
The legislation, called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, encompasses Trump’s domestic agenda, extending tax breaks to millions of American households and businesses that are projected to add trillions to the national debt. The megabill also introduces new tax relief for senior citizens and tip workers.
To offset a fraction of those costs, Republicans approved new barriers to access for Medicaid and cut funding streams under the Affordable Care Act, placing the health care of nearly 12 million in jeopardy over the next decade, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. Funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which provides food stamps, was also cut.
It has been a controversial bill within the Republican Party ever since it was conceived at the beginning of Trump’s second term, with fiscal hawks decrying its record contributions to annual deficits, and moderate Republicans fearing its cuts to health care would come back to haunt them in future elections.
Beyond tax relief and health care cuts, the bill increases defense spending and adds a historic $150 billion to fund border security and mass deportations, exponentially increasing the budget of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
It also includes a host of parochial provisions. The bill provides $1 billion for security, planning, and other costs for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, and $30 million for the construction of a sculpture-laden “American Garden of Heroes” to be built at an undetermined location.
In total, the CBO projects the bill could add up to $3.3 trillion to the debt by 2034. Republicans dispute the figure as inflated, arguing the CBO assumes status economic growth, while still other groups say the projection is conservative.
- Related article: Senate Tax Bill Would Add $3.3 Trillion to Deficit, Says CBO
Several of the Medicaid provisions kick in only after the 2026 midterms, buying Republicans time to sell the bill without facing its real-world consequences before the next election. But Democrats are already campaigning against the legislation as the greatest attack on health care since Republicans tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act in 2017, prompting a Democratic wave in midterms the following year.
The legislation introduces a work requirement for Medicaid enrollment that will require extensive new paperwork for applicants, and restricts state taxes on health care providers, known as the “provider tax,” an essential tool for many states in their efforts to supplement Medicaid funding.
Several Republican lawmakers fear that provision could have devastating effects on rural hospitals. The Senate added a rural hospital fund to the bill to help mitigate some of the impacts of the funding cuts.
The bill also rolls back green energy tax credits that have fueled an entire manufacturing workforce in wind and solar energy in states across the country.
“What a great night it was,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform referencing the procedural vote cast earlier this morning. “One of the most consequential Bills ever. The USA is the “HOTTEST” Country in the World, by far!!!”
Tribune News Service contributed to this report.
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Tags: Congress, Legislation, Taxes, Trump tax cuts, Trump tax plan
