Republicans in the House of Representatives passed the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” the spending bill containing some of President Donald Trump’s signature policies, overcoming criticism from conservative colleagues and resistance from Democrats—including an eight-hour speech by Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.
House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill as the chamber votes on the “One Big Beautiful Bill.”
CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Key Takeaways
- The bill is estimated to slash federal Medicaid spending by over $1 trillion, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, cutting down on spending through new requirements and rules for recipients and providers.
- The cuts are expected to offset the extension on Trump’s tax cuts, billions of dollars in border security funding and other costs.
- The bill also includes a phaseout of the wind and solar tax credit, a $50 billion rural hospital fund between 2026 and 2030, and significantly slashes taxes on income from tips and overtime.
- Student loans will also be shaken up by the bill, with the majority of repayment plans being axed for new loans, and new restrictions on federal student loans that may force more students to rely on private loan providers, which do not offer forgiveness programs and usually have higher interest rates.
- House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., took a victory lap after Jeffries’ marathon speech and just before the final vote, praising the bill’s tax cuts and funding for border security, and personally thanked Trump and Vice President JD Vance for helping steward the bill through Congress.
- Republicans advanced the bill with a procedural vote around 3:30 a.m. EDT on Thursday morning, after multiple conservative holdouts fell in line with their party amid pressure from Trump, who wrote “FOR REPUBLICANS, THIS SHOULD BE AN EASY YES VOTE” in a late-night Truth Social post.
What Happens Next?
Now that both chambers of Congress have approved the bill, it goes to the president’s desk for Trump to sign into law. Trump had previously tasked Congress with getting the bill to his desk by the July 4 federal holiday, and he will move quickly to sign the bill, which extends his 2017 tax cuts and provides record funding for the military and border security. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced a bill signing ceremony would take place at 5 p.m. EDT on the Fourth of July. Trump took an early victory lap Thursday morning as Jeffries passed five hours of speaking, writing on Truth Social “What a great night it was. One of the most consequential Bills ever. The USA is the ‘HOTTEST’ Country in the World, by far!!!”
Which Republicans Voted Against The Bill?
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., and Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., were the two Republicans who voted against the bill’s final passage. Fitzpatrick, who represents a crucial swing district in the Philadelphia suburbs, was the only Republican to side with Democrats during a procedural vote Thursday morning.
In a statement published shortly after the bill passed, Fitzpatrick said he took issue with the bill’s approach to Medicaid, slamming changes that were made in the Senate. “The original House language was written in a way that protected our community; the Senate amendments fell short of our standard,” Fitzpatrick wrote. Massie, a member of the House Freedom Caucus who Trump previously threatened with a primary challenge, was the only one of the bill’s hardline conservative critics to vote against it. At a press conference after the vote, Johnson said Trump helped rally votes for the megabill. “President Trump was so generous with his time answering questions himself.
Vice President JD Vance was directly engaged,” Johnson said. “We had Cabinet secretaries and a number of different federal agencies answering questions from members.” The Speaker gave few details about specific promises made to House members, despite many conservatives like Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., and Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, criticizing the Senate bill only a day earlier. “I don’t think they exacted a lot of specific commitments or concessions or anything like that,” Johnson said, later adding “a lot of the discussions were about what executive orders will be forthcoming as it relates to the new legislation and how can we be involved as a house to codify that and do all that in a coordinated fashion.”
What Did Jeffries Speak About?
Jeffries began speaking using his “magic minute” just before 5 a.m. on Thursday morning, and spent 8 hours and 44 minutes sharing testimonies from Americans struggling with losing Medicaid and SNAP coverage. Members of the Democratic caucus cheered and chanted “Hakeem!” after he finished his 8 hour and 44 minute speech, breaking a record set by former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., in 2021.
Jeffries directed his criticism at Republicans, whom he said “had the nerve to start this debate at 3:28 am in the middle of the night. But we made clear that we were going to expose all of the things being done to harm the American people. Not in the dark of night, but in the light of day.” Jeffries yielded the floor to the Republicans just before 1:40 p.m.
Johnson used his time to highlight key policy victories, insisting “this bill is for hardworking Americans, and they deserve it.” But he also took the opportunity to take shots at Jeffries’ delay tactics: “It takes a lot longer to build a lie than to tell the simple truth,” Johnson said.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
