WASHINGTON, D.C. — To push through their massive trillion-dollar tax cuts legislation, Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives worked throughout the night. Speaker Mike Johnson overcame doubts and brought his party together to advance President Donald Trump’s key bill for approval on Thursday.
Amid late negotiations and severe cautionary statements from Trump, most of the wavering Republicans abandoned their resistance to secure the "One Massive Pretty Legislation," which is crucial for the GOP platform. The House began discussions just before midnight and by morning concluded the voting process at 215-214, with Democrats firmly against it. This legislation will now move forward to the Senate.
"In simple terms, this bill will get Americans back to succeeding once more," Johnson stated.
The result marks the end of a tense period on Capitol Hill, characterized by continuous rounds of both closed-door talks and high-profile committee sessions running day and night. The Republicans were adamant that their extensive proposal spanning over 1,000 pages was precisely what constituents expected from them in Congress and propelled President Trump into office. They view this legislation as a potential “turbocharge” for America’s unstable economic situation, according to remarks made during discussions.
Trump himself demanded action, visiting House Republicans at Tuesday's conference meeting and hosting GOP leaders and the holdouts for a lengthy session at the White House on Wednesday. Before the vote, the administration warned in a pointed statement that "failure to pass this bill would be the ultimate betrayal."
At the heart of this proposal lies the Republican Party’s pledge to extend approximately $4.5 trillion worth of tax cuts that were implemented under President Donald Trump’s administration in 2017. Additionally, it includes temporary additions such as eliminating taxes on gratuities, overtime earnings, auto loan interests, and more—policies he had advocated for during his 2024 presidential run.
In an effort to compensate for the missing tax income, the Republicans concentrated on modifying Medicaid and the food stamp program, primarily through introducing work prerequisites for recipients. Additionally, they plan to significantly reduce the renewable energy incentives established during the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act.
Moreover, the package adds an additional $350 billion in expenditures, where approximately $150 billion will go to the Department of Defense, which includes funding for the president’s new “Golden Dome” missile defense system. The remainder will be allocated towards Trump's plans for extensive deportations and enhanced border control measures.
In total, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the suggested modifications would result in approximately 8.6 million fewer individuals having health insurance and about 3 million fewer people receiving monthly Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
The Congressional Budget Office stated that the proposed tax measures would lead to an additional $3.8 trillion in federal budget deficit over ten years. Meanwhile, modifications to programs like Medicaid, food assistance benefits, and various public services would result in savings of approximately $1 trillion. According to them, lower-income families across America would experience a decline in available resources, whereas higher-earning households would benefit from this shift.
'Big ugly bill'
The House Democratic leader from New York, Hakeem Jeffries, shared messages from citizens detailing how the proposed budget reductions would adversely affect their lives. He remarked, “This is quite an unpleasant piece of legislation.”
Since they were outnumbered and lacked enough votes to block Trump’s proposal, the Democrats resorted to delivering compelling speeches and employing strategic maneuvers to delay its progression. The moment the House floor opened back up for discussion, the Democrats initiated a motion to adjourn, which did not pass.
"In the dead of night, they aim to push through this GOP tax bill," stated Democratic Representative Pete Aguilar from California.
Other Democrats referred to it as a "large, problematic legislation" or a "significant, unfulfilled pledge."
Assembling the package and getting it approved has required significant political effort from Johnson, who barely manages to maintain his narrow Republican majority as members of his party have differing personal agendas. With only a limited number of votes available, this makes passing legislation particularly challenging.
Conservatives, especially those from the Freedom Caucus, insisted on deeper budget reductions to offset the escalating expenses adding to the country's $36 trillion debt burden.
Meanwhile, several moderate and center-aligned Republican legislators expressed concern about modifications to Medicaid that might lead to their constituents losing healthcare coverage. Additionally, some feared that eliminating renewable energy tax incentives would hinder companies from investing in environmentally friendly initiatives across various states due to these financial supports being crucial for such ventures.