President Donald Trump is taking a victory lap after the House passed his “big, beautiful bill,” early Thursday morning.
The controversial package narrowly cleared the lower chamber in an early morning vote despite some staunch opposition from GOP deficit hawks. Many GOP holdouts supported the bill after the House approved changes to win over blue-state Republicans and hardliners in the House Freedom Caucus.
The House approved the massive package in 215-214 vote, with two Republicans joining with every Democrat to oppose the measure. After pressuring Republicans to unite behind his bill, Trump celebrated its passage in a Truth Social post.
“‘THE ONE, BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ has PASSED the House of Representatives! This is arguably the most significant piece of Legislation that will ever be signed in the History of our Country!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“Great job by Speaker Mike Johnson, and the House Leadership, and thank you to every Republican who voted YES on this Historic Bill! Now, it’s time for our friends in the United States Senate to get to work, and send this Bill to my desk AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! There is no time to waste,” he continued.
Trump paid a rare visit to Capitol Hill earlier this week to rally support for the controversial bill that Democrats warn will result in millions of Americans losing their healthcare coverage. It also includes tax breaks, including no taxes on tips, overtime pay, car loan interest and others.
Despite the vote barely passing the House, Trump took aim at Democrats in his Truth Social post. Republicans hold a 220-212 majority in Congress after the recent deaths of three Democratic lawmakers.
“The Democrats have lost control of themselves, and are aimlessly wandering around, showing no confidence, grit, or determination,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“They have forgotten their landslide loss in the Presidential Election, and are warped in the past, hoping someday to revive Open Borders for the World’s criminals to be able to pour into our Country, men to be able to play in women’s sports, and transgender for everybody. They don’t realize that these things, and so many more like them, will NEVER AGAIN happen!“, he concluded.
Trump’s much-needed victory comes after lawmakers debated the legislation in an all-night session, with Democrats and some GOP holdouts railing against the bill. Many conservatives, including U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, criticized the bill for increasing the nation’s deficit.
Massie compared the legislation to the sinking of the Titanic in an early morning rant against the bill. Trump lashed out at Massie over his criticism of his “big beautiful bill” earlier this week and called for the Kentucky Republican to lose his seat.
“Mr. Speaker, we’re not rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic tonight. We’re putting coal into boiler, and setting a course for the iceberg,” Massie said on Thursday. “If something is beautiful, you don’t do it after midnight.”
The outcome caps an intense time on Capitol Hill, with days of private negotiations and public committee hearings, many happening back-to-back, around-the-clock. Republicans insisted their sprawling 1,000-page-plus package was what voters sent them to Congress — and Trump to the White House — to accomplish. They believe it will be “rocket fuel,” as one put it during debate, for the uneasy U.S. economy.
Trump himself demanded action, visiting House Republicans at Tuesday’s conference meeting and hosting GOP leaders and the holdouts for a lengthy session Wednesday at the White House. Before the vote, the administration warned in a pointed statement that “failure to pass this bill would be the ultimate betrayal.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Stories by Lauren Sforza
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