WASHINGTON () President Donald Trump is expected to sign his “big, beautiful bill” into law Friday during a White House picnic, marking the most significant victory of his two presidencies.
The signing ceremony is set to feature stealth bombers and fighter jets that participated in recent airstrikes in Iran fly overhead, a symbolic synthesis of the overwhelming force that he’s deployed to reshape Washington and the country.
Trump: ‘BBB’ a birthday gift for the US
The legislation passed the House with near-unanimous Republican support. Only two lawmakers, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Penn., joined every Democrat in voting against the bill.
The final hours of negotiations were tense. Talks stretched from Wednesday into early Thursday morning as a few House Republicans withheld their support. With pressure from Trump, GOP leaders ultimately secured the votes needed.
Trump took a victory lap in Iowa shortly after the vote, touting the bill as a “birthday gift” to the United States.
Democrats rip bill over cuts to Medicaid, SNAP
The legislation has drawn criticism from Democrats and some Republicans over major cuts to federal safety net programs.
The bill includes significant reductions in funding for SNAP and new restrictions on Medicaid eligibility. Critics warn that millions could lose health coverage under the changes. They also fear it could have serious ripple effects through the entire healthcare industry.
Republicans argue the bill only targets people who should not have qualified in the first place, undocumented immigrants and able-bodied adults without young children. But others caution that the new rules added could cause millions of eligible recipients to lose access to benefits too.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
