House Republicans are pushing Trump's big bill to the brink of passage
Share this @internewscast.com

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans are set to vote on President Donald Trump’s $4.5 trillion tax cuts and spending cuts bill early Thursday, staying up all night as GOP leaders and the president himself worked to convince hesitant members to abandon their opposition by his Fourth of July deadline.

Final debates started in the early morning hours following another tumultuous day, and night, at the Capitol. House Speaker Mike Johnson declared that the House would meet the holiday deadline after the Senate narrowly passed Trump’s key domestic policy package.

“Our way is to push through and complete it,” Johnson said, emerging into the night from a series of closed-door sessions. “We will meet our July 4th deadline.”

The outcome would be a milestone for the president and his party, a longshot effort to compile a long list of GOP priorities into what they call his “one big beautiful bill,” an 800-plus page package. With Democrats unified in opposition, the bill will become a defining measure of Trump’s return to the White House, with the sweep of Republican control of Congress.

Tax breaks and safety net cuts

At it core, the package’s priority is $4.5 trillion in tax breaks enacted in Trump’s first term, in 2017, that would expire if Congress failed to act, along with new ones. This includes allowing workers to deduct tips and overtime pay, and a $6,000 deduction for most older adults earning less than $75,000 a year.

There’s also a hefty investment, some $350 billion, in national security and Trump’s deportation agenda and to help develop the “Golden Dome” defensive system over the U.S.

To help offset the costs of lost tax revenue, the package includes $1.2 trillion in cutbacks to the Medicaid health care and food stamps, largely by imposing new work requirements, including for some parents and older people, and a massive rollback of green energy investments.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates the package will add $3.3 trillion to the deficit over the decade and 11.8 million more people will go without health coverage.

“This was a generational opportunity to deliver the most comprehensive and consequential set of conservative reforms in modern history, and that’s exactly what we’re doing,” said Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, the House Budget Committee chairman.

Democrats united against ‘ugly bill’

Democrats unified against the bill as a tax giveaway to the rich paid for on the backs of the most vulnerable in society, what they called “trickle down cruelty.”

“Have you no shame?” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn. “Have the moral courage to oppose this bill.”

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries invoked the powerful history of the nation’s Independence Day holiday, and asked: “What does any of that have to do with this one, big ugly bill?”

He read for nearly two hours from a binder of letters, written by people across the country explaining how the health care programs have helped their families — and how devastating cuts would hurt.

Hauling the package this far in Congress has been difficult from the start. Republicans have struggled mightily with the bill nearly every step of the way in the House and Senate, often succeeding only by the narrowest of margins: just one vote. In the Senate, Vice President JD Vance broke the tie vote. The slim 220-212 majority in the House leaves Republicans little room for defections.

Political costs of saying no

But few GOP lawmakers have been fully satisfied with the final product. Several more moderate Republicans had reservations about the cuts to Medicaid health care and the loss of green energy credits that could derail solar, wind and other renewable projects in their districts.

At the same time, conservatives, including those from the House Freedom Caucus, held out for steeper reductions. Republicans had warned the Senate against making changes to the House-passed bill, but senators put their own stamp on the final draft.

The House ground to a standstill Wednesday as a handful of holdouts refused to move so quickly. A morning roll call dragged for about seven hours, while an evening vote stalled for more than five, and Trump himself worked the phones and lashed out on social media.

“What are the Republicans waiting for??? What are you trying to prove???” Trump railed in a post-midnight vote.

Johnson, who has pulled close to Trump, relied on White House officials — including Cabinet secretaries, lawyers and others — to work skeptical Republicans through the details. Lawmakers were being told the administration could provide executive actions, projects or other provisions they needed in their districts back home.

“The president’s message was, ‘We’re on a roll,’” said Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C. “He wants to see this.”

And the alternative, of bucking the president on his signature second-term package, carried grave political risks.

Trump has publicly threatened to campaign against the defectors. One House Republican who has staked out opposition to the bill, Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, is being targeted by Trump’s well-funded political operation.

And Senate Republican Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who had been on the receiving end of Trump’s lashings, announced he would not seek reelection shortly before voting against the bill.

Rollback of past presidential agendas

In many ways, the package is a repudiation of the agendas of the last two Democratic presidents, a chiseling away at the Medicaid expansion from Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act, and a pullback of Joe Biden’s climate change strategies in the Inflation Reduction Act.

Democrats have described the bill in dire terms, warning that cuts to Medicaid, which some 80 million Americans rely on, would result in lives lost. Food stamps that help feed more than 40 million people would “rip food from the mouths of hungry children, hungry veterans and hungry seniors,” Jeffries said.

Republicans say the tax breaks will prevent a tax hike on households and grow the economy. They maintain they are trying to rightsize the safety net programs for the population they were initially designed to serve, mainly pregnant women, the disabled and children, and root out what they describe as waste, fraud and abuse.

The Tax Policy Center, which provides nonpartisan analysis of tax and budget policy, projected the bill would result next year in a $150 tax break for the lowest quintile of Americans, a $1,750 tax cut for the middle quintile and a $10,950 tax cut for the top quintile. That’s compared with what they would face if the 2017 tax cuts expired.

___

Associated Press writers Kevin Freking, Joey Cappelletti and Matt Brown contributed.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
Carol Reith arrested for animal cruelty, 52 dogs rescued from 200 block of Sky Hill Road, Wauconda police say

Wauconda Police Report: Carol Reith Detained for Animal Cruelty; 52 Dogs Rescued on Sky Hill Road

WAUCONDA, Ill. (WLS) — A woman was arrested for animal cruelty after…
ESPN tried to destroy me with 'smear campaign' after I left

Former ESPN Employee Claims Network Launched Smear Campaign After Departure

Dan Patrick had the ESPN machine behind him for all those years…
'High Potential' star Javicia Leslie teases a villain twist you won't see coming: "You'll never guess who it was." 

‘High Potential’ Star Javicia Leslie Hints at Unexpected Villain Plot Twist: “You’ll Be Surprised Who It Is.”

LOS ANGELES — The filming of Season 2 of “High Potential” on…
Man in suit reviewing documents.

Evidence of Torture Discovered on Fired Putin Minister’s Body Before Alleged Suicide

The Kremlin has been charged with concealing the demise of a dismissed…
Pennsylvania man who showed father's severed head on YouTube said he wanted to block him from being next Trump

Pennsylvania Man Displayed Father’s Severed Head on YouTube to Prevent His Political Rise

The Pennsylvania man accused of murdering his father and then uploading a…
'General Hospital,' 'The View,' 'Live with Kelly and Mark,' and Anthony Mackie are among the Daytime Emmy Awards nominees.

Daytime Emmy Nominations Include ‘General Hospital,’ ‘The View,’ ‘Live with Kelly and Mark,’ and Anthony Mackie

LOS ANGELES — The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has…
LSU lands No. 1 college football recruit Lamar Brown in huge get

LSU Secures Top College Football Prospect Lamar Brown in Major Win

The No. 1 recruit in the 2026 recruiting class, according to ESPN’s…
Israel Coalition Against Houthis: Pressuring US for Yemen Strikes

Israel Coalition Advocates for US Intervention: Urging Strikes on Houthis in Yemen

Israel is urging the United States to resume military operations against Yemen’s…
Is Outlook down? Thousands of users report issues accessing their email

Is Outlook Unavailable? Numerous Users Experiencing Email Access Problems

NEW YORK — Thousands of Microsoft Outlook users experienced issues with the…
Damaged Camp Mystic mailbox in flood debris.

Heart-Wrenching Letters from Camp Mystic Kids Reach Families Days After Texas Floods Tragedy

Letters penned by young campers at Camp Mystic have begun reaching their…
Trail grows cold in manhunt for survivalist father as authorities reach breaking point: 'I'm still angry'

Search for Washington Murder Suspect Halts in Idaho Following False Sighting Report

The search for the father accused of killing his three daughters has…
New Hampshire judge to pause Trump's birthright citizenship order

New Hampshire Judge Halts Trump’s Birthright Citizenship Directive

A federal judge in New Hampshire announced on Thursday that he will…