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In a razor-thin vote on Thursday, House Republicans passed a sprawling tax and spending package that enshrines much of President Donald Trump’s second-term domestic agenda, sending the legislation to the president’s desk just in time for his July 4 deadline.
The bill passed 218-214, with every Democrat voting no and just two Republicans — Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) — breaking ranks. The measure, dubbed the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” by Trump, wraps together tax cuts, new spending, and steep reductions to social programs — a combination that adds $3.3 trillion to the national debt over the next decade, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO).
A Major Win for Trump and GOP Leadership
The 887-page bill marks the GOP’s most consequential legislative win since regaining unified control of Washington in January. It extends the 2017 Trump tax cuts, slashes taxes on tips and overtime, pours hundreds of billions into military spending, and allocates billions to fund Trump’s mass deportation efforts.
But the measure pays for less than a third of its total cost. It slashes an estimated $930 billion from Medicaid, cuts food aid benefits, and rolls back clean energy incentives, violating Trump’s past promises not to touch Medicaid.
“This is the big one,” said Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who helped orchestrate final negotiations alongside Trump and Vice President JD Vance, whose tie-breaking vote passed the bill in the Senate 51-50 earlier this week.
Arm-Twisting and Midnight Calls
In the final hours, Republicans faced open dissent and near-collapse of the bill. A group of GOP holdouts initially derailed a procedural vote, prompting an all-night scramble by Trump and party leaders. Trump personally made late-night phone calls — including a 1 a.m. call to wavering lawmakers — promising aggressive implementation of right-wing priorities, including Medicaid work requirements and clean energy rollbacks.
“He doesn’t really sleep a lot,” Johnson said of Trump’s relentless lobbying.
One of the bill’s fiercest critics, Rep. Thomas Massie, said the effort to isolate him and other dissenters was deliberate:
“They’re whipping this horse, because I’m out of the barn, to keep the other horses in the barn.”
Even Massie ultimately flipped on a key procedural vote after his own call with Trump.
Medicaid Cuts and Work Requirements
The bill imposes strict work requirements on Medicaid recipients aged 19 to 64, mandating 80 hours per month of work, school, or volunteer service. It is projected to kick 11.8 million people off their health insurance — mostly due to administrative burdens, not ineligibility.
Democrats blasted the cuts during an 8-hour and 44-minute speech by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), who called the bill “a disgusting abomination” and accused Republicans of jamming it through at 3 a.m. to avoid public scrutiny.
“Why did debate begin at 3:28 a.m.?” Jeffries asked. “Because Republicans know the American people would be outraged by a bill that raises the debt, cuts Medicaid, and showers tax breaks on the rich.”
Budget Tricks and Senate Maneuvering
Republicans used a reconciliation process to bypass the Senate’s 60-vote threshold. In a controversial move, they employed a “current policy baseline” that let them count $3.8 trillion in tax cut extensions as costing zero, helping the package comply with budget rules.
Only three GOP senators — Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), and Susan Collins (R-Maine) — voted against the measure. Democrats succeeded in removing the bill’s original Trump-inspired name, “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,”arguing it wasn’t budget-related.
Political Fallout
With midterms approaching in 2026, Democrats are already sharpening their message. They point to polling showing broad public opposition to the bill’s Medicaid cuts and tax breaks for the wealthy, and plan to make it a centerpiece of their campaign strategy.
Meanwhile, conservatives are declaring victory — despite swallowing a package that adds trillions to the deficit.
“If President Trump and Vice President Vance had not engaged when they did, it wouldn’t have passed,” said Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), summarizing the behind-the-scenes efforts that salvaged the bill.
Trump is expected to sign the bill into law on Independence Day, capping his administration’s most sweeping legislative success since retaking office — and potentially redefining the Republican Party’s fiscal and political identity for years to come.
