The United States(US) House of Representatives has passed the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” a massive tax cut and spending package representing a key pillar of President Donald Trump’s agenda. The bill was approved with a narrow margin of 218 to 214 votes, despite fierce opposition from Democrats.
The legislation includes significant tax cuts, boosting funding for immigration enforcement, and cementing the 2017 tax cuts championed by Trump during his first term as president. Specifically, the bill includes $4.5 trillion in tax breaks, deductions for tips and overtime pay, and a $6,000 deduction for seniors earning less than $75,000. Additionally, it allocates $350 billion for national security and Trump’s deportation agenda. To offset the lost revenue, the bill proposes $1.2 trillion in cuts to Medicaid and food stamp programs.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated that the bill would increase the federal deficit by $3.3 trillion over the next decade and leave 17 million more Americans without health coverage. The bill also lifts the debt ceiling by $5 trillion, allowing the federal government to borrow more.
Democratic lawmakers slammed the bill as a massive redistribution of wealth from the poor to the rich, noting that the tax cuts mainly benefit the wealthiest earners. Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic Minority Leader, delivered a record-breaking speech against the bill, speaking for approximately eight hours and 44 minutes.
“I’m here to take my sweet time on behalf of the American people,” Jeffries said. “Donald Trump’s deadline may be Independence Day. That ain’t my deadline… We don’t work for Donald Trump. We work for the American people.” Jeffries dubbed the bill the “One Big Ugly Bill,” stating it “hurts everyday Americans and rewards billionaires with massive tax breaks”.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson successfully rallied Republicans for the bill’s passage, saying, “With this One Big Beautiful Bill, we are going to make this country stronger, safer and more prosperous than ever before, and every American is going to benefit from that.”
Trump celebrated the victory, stating, “Biggest tax cut in history, great for security, great on the southern border, immigration is covered. We covered just about everything.” However, not all conservatives initially backed the bill, with some Republican holdouts fearing the impact of Medicaid cuts on low-income and rural communities.
The bill now heads to the White House for Trump to sign into law, expected to happen on July 4 at 4 pm US Eastern time. Despite the bill’s passage, critics warn of dark times to come, with Senator Bernie Sanders stating, “51,000 Americans will die each year so that the top 1% can get a $1 trillion tax break”.
