President Trump appeared on the cusp of a major political victory Thursday morning, as House Republicans moved one step away from passing his sprawling domestic policy bill.
But after spending days cajoling and coaxing lawmakers of his own party to line up behind the legislation, the president faces another test: selling the bill to the American public or risk losing support to a furious Democratic campaign focused on how it helps the wealthy at the expense of working people.
That effort will begin in earnest on Thursday night when Mr. Trump travels to Des Moines, Iowa, for the kickoff of America250, a yearlong series of events to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the country’s founding. Mr. Trump has told Republicans he wants to sign the bill by Friday and celebrate its passage alongside July 4 festivities.
The president and his aides have argued the legislation is critical to achieving his domestic agenda and fulfilling his campaign promises. They have focused on the bill’s provisions that would slash taxes by about $4.5 trillion while increasing funding for the military and border security.
“THE ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL DEAL IS ALL ABOUT GROWTH,” Mr. Trump posted on Truth Social on Wednesday. “IF PASSED, AMERICA WILL HAVE AN ECONOMIC RENAISSANCE LIKE NEVER BEFORE.”
But the bill would also cut roughly $1 trillion from Medicaid, reduce food assistance and add trillions of dollars to the federal deficit — and Democrats plan to make that the centerpiece of their midterm elections campaign. Their effort will be aided by Republicans, many of whom spent weeks raising concerns about the legislation’s deep cuts and will surely feature in campaign ads in the coming months.
Democratic political groups have already announced plans to run ads against vulnerable House Republicans, highlighting their support for the bill. They will try to replicate a playbook from 2018, during Mr. Trump’s first term, when Democrats took control of the House on a platform that focused heavily on Republicans’ efforts to roll back the Affordable Care Act.
Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the House Democratic leader, spent hours on the House floor Thursday morning assailing the legislation as he made his way through a thick binder of stories about Medicaid.
“This bill represents the largest cut to health care in American history,” Mr. Jeffries said Thursday. “It’s an all-out assault on the health care of the American people.”
Mr. Jeffries said the president promised “he was going to love and cherish Medicaid.”
“Nothing about this bill loves and cherishes Medicaid,” he said. “It guts Medicaid.”
Republicans tried to avoid immediate political backlash by delaying the new cuts and work requirements until about next year’s midterm elections. But Democrats will find some help in keeping those changes front and center: Senator Josh Hawley, Republican of Missouri who voted to support the legislation, said he planned to spend the next two years trying to undo the Medicaid provisions because he was so opposed to them.
Ruth Igielnik contributed reporting.