House passes "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," now headed to the Senate
Quick Hit:
In a razor-thin 215-214 vote, House Republicans passed President Trump's sweeping "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," which delivers on his top legislative priorities. Speaker Mike Johnson hailed the passage as a defining moment for the GOP and a pivotal step in shaping Trump's second term.
Key Details:
The bill extends Trump's 2017 tax cuts, slashes green energy subsidies, and imposes stricter Medicaid work requirements.
Only two Republicans -- Reps. Thomas Massie and Warren Davidson -- opposed the bill; one GOP member voted "present."
The Senate is expected to push changes, sparking a battle that could stretch into the summer as the debt ceiling deadline looms.
Diving Deeper:
House Republicans scored a major legislative win early Thursday morning, passing President Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" by a single vote -- a sprawling package that cements his second-term policy agenda and signals a renewed GOP offensive on spending, immigration, and tax reform.
In a 215-214 vote, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) muscled the bill through his slim majority, rallying a deeply divided conference behind a package that many believe could define the next chapter of the Trump era. The vote followed days of tense negotiations, last-minute revisions, and a rare lobbying push by President Trump himself, who met with holdouts just hours before the final vote.
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The bill is a policy juggernaut. It extends Trump's 2017 tax cuts, rolls back Biden-era green energy incentives, boosts defense and border security funding, and imposes work requirements on Medicaid -- a provision that, according to budget analysts, could result in millions losing government-subsidized health insurance. It also raises the debt ceiling by $4 trillion, giving Republicans room to maneuver without another fiscal standoff -- at least for now.
Two Republicans, Reps. Thomas Massie (Ky.) and Warren Davidson (Ohio), opposed the bill on principle, with House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris (R-Md.) voting "present." Their concerns focused on spending levels and executive power -- issues that could be addressed through a wave of executive orders Trump is expected to issue in the coming weeks.
Centrist Republicans also extracted concessions. After a high-stakes back-and-forth over the state and local tax (SALT) deduction cap, members from high-tax states like New York and California reached a compromise to raise the deduction limit to $40,000 for individuals making $500,000 or less -- far short of their initial demands but enough to secure their votes.
While House passage is a political win for Trump and Johnson, the bill's future in the Senate is less certain. Senate Republicans, led by Majority Leader John Thune, are already signaling that changes are coming -- particularly on Medicaid reforms and tax provisions. Any significant revisions will require the House to reconsider the bill, setting up a fierce intra-party tug-of-war in the coming weeks.
In theory, they can now make this bill stronger through reconciliation, where only a simple majority is needed in the Senate to pass spending/taxing changes to a bill.
But does anyone believe the left-leaning Bush "Republicans" that dominate the Senate Republican Caucus will actually do that?