House gives final approval to Trump’s big tax bill and sends it to him to sign

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans propelled President Donald Trump’s $4.5 trillion tax breaks and spending cuts bill to final congressional passage Thursday (July 3, 2025) , overcoming multiple setbacks to approve his signature second-term policy package before a Fourth of July deadline.

The tight roll call, 218-214, came at a potentially high political cost, with two Republicans joining all Democrats opposed. GOP leaders worked overnight and the president himself leaned on a handful of skeptics to drop their opposition and send the bill to him to sign into law. Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York delayed voting by holding the floor for more than eight hours with a record-breaking speech against the bill.

“We have a big job to finish,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. “With one big beautiful bill we are going to make this country stronger, safer and more prosperous than ever before.”

The outcome delivers a milestone for the president, by his Friday goal, and for his party,. It was a long-shot effort to compile a lengthy list of GOP priorities into what they called his “one big beautiful bill,” an 800-plus page measure. With Democrats unified in opposition, the bill will become a defining measure of Trump’s return to the White House, aided by Republican control of Congress.

Tax breaks and safety net cuts
At its core, the package’s priority is $4.5 trillion in tax breaks enacted in 2017 during Trump’s first term 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 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 major rollback of green energy tax credits.

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 working class and most vulnerable in society, what they called “trickle down cruelty.” Tensions ran high in the chamber.

Jeffries began the speech at 4:53 a.m. EDT and finished at 1:37 p.m. EDT, 8 hours, 44 minutes later, a record, as he argued against what he called Trump’s “big ugly bill.”

“We’re better than this,” Jeffries said, who used a leader’s prerogative for unlimited debate and read letter after letter from Americans writing about their reliance of the health care programs.

“I never thought that I’d be on the House floor saying that this is a crime scene,” Jeffries said.

“It’s a crime scene, going after the health, and the safety, and the well-being of the American people.”

And as Democrats, he said, “We want no part of it.”

Hauling the package through the Congress has been difficult from the start. Republicans have struggled mightily with the bill nearly every step of the way quarreling in the House and Senate, and often succeeding only by the narrowest of margins: just one vote.

The Senate passed the package days earlier with Vice President JD Vance breaking the tie vote. The slim majority in the House left Republicans little room for defections.

Political costs of saying no

Despite their discomfort with various aspects of the sprawling package, in some ways it became too big to fail — in part because Republicans found it difficult to buck Trump.

As Wednesday’s stalled floor action dragged overnight Trump railed against the delays.

“What are the Republicans waiting for???” the president said in a midnight post. “What are you trying to prove???”

Johnson relied heavily on White House Cabinet secretaries, lawyers and others to satisfy skeptical GOP holdouts. Moderate Republicans worried about the severity of cuts while conservatives pressed for steeper reductions. Lawmakers said they were being told the administration could provide executive actions, projects or other provisions in their districts back home.

The alternative was clear. Republicans who staked out opposition to the bill, including Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, and Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, were being warned by Trump’s well-funded political operation. Tillis soon after announced he would not seek reelection.

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.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senators hunkered down Monday (June 30, 2025) to consider proposed amendments to President Donald Trump’s big bill of tax breaks and spending cuts amid challenges including the weekend announcement from one GOP senator that he won’t run for reelection after opposing the package over its Medicaid health care cuts.

The grind is expected to take all day, and it could churn into the night. Potential changes were being considered in what’s called a vote-a-rama, though most are expected to fail. With Democrats united against the Republican president’s legislation and eagerly lined up to challenge it.

“It’s time to vote,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota, as the chamber opened. But later he suggested final action could slip.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said the “hardest choices” for Republicans are still to come. Democrats, he said, are bringing “amendment after amendment after amendment to the floor, so Republicans can defend their billionaire tax cuts and so they can try to explain their massive cuts to Medicaid to people back home.”

The day will be pivotal for the Republicans, who have control of Congress and are racing against Trump’s July Fourth deadline to wrap up work. The 940-page “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” as it’s formally titled, has consumed Congress as its shared priority with the president, with no room politically to fail, even as not all Republicans are on board.

House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana was calling lawmakers back Wednesday for final votes, if it clears the Senate.

A new analysis from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found 11.8 million more Americans would become uninsured by 2034 if the bill became law. The CBO said the package would increase the deficit by nearly $3.3 trillion over the decade.

The White House said it was counting on Republican lawmakers to “get the job done.”

“Republicans need to stay tough and unified during the home stretch,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.

But the outcome remains uncertain.

As the first few Senate amendments came up Monday — to strike parts of the bill that would limit Medicaid funds to rural hospitals or shift the costs of food stamps benefits to the states — some were winning support from a few Republicans.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, joined Democrats on the rural hospitals amendment, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, joined Democrats on both votes.

But none of the amendments won majority support to substantially change the package.

Senators to watch
Few Republicans appear fully satisfied as the final package emerges. GOP Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who announced Sunday he would not seek reelection after Trump badgered him over his opposition to the package, said he has the same goals as Trump: cutting taxes and spending.

But Tillis said this package is a betrayal of the president’s promises not to kick people off health care, especially if rural hospitals close.

At the same time, some loosely aligned conservative Senate Republicans — Rick Scott of Florida, Mike Lee of Utah, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming — have prosed steeper cuts, particularly to health care, drawing their own warning from Trump not to go “crazy.”

Sen. Mike Crapo, the GOP chairman of the Finance Committee dismissed the dire predictions of health care cuts as Democrats trafficking in what he called the “politics of fear.”

What’s in the big bill
All told, the Senate bill includes $4.5 trillion in tax cuts, according to the latest CBO analysis, making permanent Trump’s 2017 rates, which would expire at the end of the year if Congress fails to act, while adding the new ones he campaigned on, including no taxes on tips.

The Senate package would roll back billions of dollars in green energy tax credits that Democrats warn will wipe out wind and solar investments nationwide and impose $1.2 trillion in cuts, largely to Medicaid and food stamps, by imposing work requirements, making sign-up eligibility more stringent and changing federal reimbursements to states.

Additionally, the bill would provide a $350 billion infusion for border and national security, including for deportations, some of it paid for with new fees charged to immigrants.

Democrats ready to fight
Unable to stop the march toward passage, the Democrats as the minority party in Congress are using the tools at their disposal to delay and drag out the process.

Democrats forced a full reading of the text, which took 16 hours, and now are filing dozens of amendments.

Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the ranking Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, raised particular concern about the accounting method being used by the Republicans, which says the tax breaks from Trump’s first term are now “current policy” and the cost of extending them should not be counted toward deficits.

“In my 33 years here in the United States Senate, things have never — never — worked this way,” said Murray, the longest-serving Democrat on the Budget Committee.

She said that kind of “magic math” won’t fly with Americans trying to balance their own household books.

“Go back home,” she said, “and try that game with your constituents.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — After a weekend of setbacks, the Senate will try to sprint ahead Monday (June 30, 2025) on President Donald Trump’s big bill of tax breaks and spending cuts despite a series of challenges, including the sudden announcement from one GOP senator that he won’t run for reelection after opposing the package over its Medicaid health care cuts.

An all-night session to consider an endless stream of proposed amendments to the package, in what’s called a vote-a-rama, was abruptly postponed, and it’s now scheduled to launch as soon as the Senate gavels open. With Democrats united against the Republican president’s legislation and eagerly lined up to challenge it, the voting could take all day.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said the “hardest choices” for Republicans are still to come. His side plans to bring “amendment after amendment after amendment to the floor, so Republicans can defend their billionaire tax cuts and so they can try to explain their massive cuts to Medicaid to people back home.”

The hours ahead will be pivotal for the Republicans, who have control of the Congress and are racing against Trump’s Fourth of July deadline to wrap up work. The 940-page “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” as it is now formally titled, has consumed the Congress as its shared priority with the president, with no room politically to fail, even as not all Republicans are on board.

A new analysis from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found that 11.8 million more Americans would become uninsured by 2034 if the bill became law. It also said the package would increase the deficit by nearly $3.3 trillion over the decade.

House Speaker Mike Johnson’s leadership team has recalled lawmakers back to Washington for voting in the House as soon as Wednesday, if the legislation can first clear the Senate.

But the outcome remains uncertain, especially after a weekend of work in the Senate that brought less visible progress on securing enough Republican support, over Democratic opposition, for passage.

Senators to watch
Few Republicans appear fully satisfied as the final package emerges. GOP Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who announced Sunday he would not seek reelection after Trump badgered him over his opposition to the package, said he has the same goals as Trump, cutting taxes and spending.

But Tillis said this package is a betrayal of the president’s promises not to kick people off health care, especially if rural hospitals close.

“We could take the time to get this right,” he thundered.

At the same time, some loosely aligned conservative Senate Republicans — Rick Scott of Florida, Mike Lee of Utah, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming — have pushed for steeper cuts, particularly to health care, drawing their own warning from Trump.

“Don’t go too crazy!” the president posted on social media. “REMEMBER, you still have to get reelected.”

GOP leaders barely secured enough support to muscle the legislation past a procedural Saturday night hurdle in a tense scene. A handful of Republican holdouts revolted, and it took phone calls from Trump and a visit from Vice President JD Vance to keep it on track.

As Saturday’s vote tally teetered, attention turned to Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, who was surrounded by GOP leaders in intense conversation. She voted “yes.”

Several provisions in the package including a higher tax deduction for native whalers and potential waivers from food stamps or Medicaid changes are being called the “Polar Payoff” designed for her state. But some were found to be out of compliance with the rules by the Senate parliamentarian.

What’s in the big bill
All told, the Senate bill includes some $4 trillion in tax cuts, making permanent Trump’s 2017 rates, which would expire at the end of the year if Congress fails to act, while adding the new ones he campaigned on, including no taxes on tips.

The Senate package would roll back billions of dollars in green energy tax credits that Democrats warn will wipe out wind and solar investments nationwide and impose $1.2 trillion in cuts, largely to Medicaid and food stamps, by imposing work requirements, making sign-up eligibility more stringent and changing federal reimbursements to states.

Additionally, the bill would provide a $350 billion infusion for border and national security, including for deportations, some of it paid for with new fees charged to immigrants.

Democrats ready to fight
Unable to stop the march toward passage, the Democrats as the minority party in Congress are using the tools at their disposal to delay and drag out the process.

Democrats forced a full reading of the text, which took 16 hours. Then Democratic senators took over Sunday’s debate, filling the chamber with speeches, while Republicans largely stood aside.

“Reckless and irresponsible,” said Sen. Gary Peters, a Democrat from Michigan.

“A gift to the billionaire class,” said Vermont’s Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats.

“Follow what the Bible teaches us: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” said Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., as Sunday’s debate pushed past midnight.

Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the ranking Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, raised particular concern about the accounting method being used by the Republicans, which says the tax breaks from Trump’s first term are now “current policy” and the cost of extending them should not be counted toward deficits.

“In my 33 years here in the United States Senate, things have never — never — worked this way,” said Murray, the longest-serving Democrat on the Budget Committee.

She said that kind of “magic math” won’t fly with Americans trying to balance their own household books.

“Go back home,” she said, “and try that game with your constituents.”