House Republicans just gave Donald Trump the win he’s been chasing since starting his second term — and they did it right on time for his self-imposed July 4th deadline.
In a tight 218-214 vote, the House passed a massive $3.4 trillion package nicknamed the “Big Beautiful Bill,” delivering Trump his first big legislative victory of the term. The bill now heads to his desk for a signature.
Here’s what’s in the mix: a full extension of Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, billions in new funding for immigration enforcement and border security, and some controversial deep cuts to Medicaid and other safety-net programs. It’s the kind of bill that Trump campaigned on — tough on spending for social services, heavy on security and tax breaks.
But it almost didn’t happen.
With such a narrow GOP majority, House Speaker Mike Johnson could only afford to lose three Republican votes. As of late Wednesday, at least five GOP members were threatening to tank the whole thing — not over immigration, but over how much the bill would balloon the deficit and hit Medicaid. It took a round of late-night calls, personal pressure from Trump, and some behind-the-scenes negotiating to flip enough votes.
In the end, only two Republicans — Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Thomas Massie of Kentucky — broke ranks and joined Democrats in voting no. Everyone else held the line.
Good bye, America.😢