President Donald Trump’s tax and spending “big, beautiful bill” is just one step from becoming law after House Republicans pulled an all-nighter to secure a procedural vote, at around 3:30 AM ET Thursday, setting up a final vote slated for later in the day.
The 219-213 vote on the House “rule,” a procedural motion that opens the floor for amendments and final passage, was much to the relief of Speaker Mike Johnson, who spent the better part of Wednesday convincing GOP policymakers on the fence to vote yes.Â
The House originally passed the legislation in May, then underwent several changes in the Senate. It now includes $4.5 trillion in tax cuts, increases in military and border security spending, and reductions to Medicaid and food assistance programs.
House GOP unites after overnight talks
House Republicans, many of whom stayed through the night, managed to coalesce after days of internal strife. GOP leaders were afraid of going through the marathon witnessed in the Senate earlier this week, where the bill passed by a single vote, cast by Vice President JD Vance.
Senate’s revisions on the bill added more tax reductions and reduced cuts to social programs. Fiscal conservatives in the House argued that the provisions could add more figures on the national debt, while moderates worried about how slashing Medicaid benefits could affect them politically.
Speaker Johnson held several meetings throughout Wednesday and into the early hours of Thursday to garner enough support against the liberals.Â
“It’s been a good day, we’re in a good place right now,” Johnson said after the vote. He refuted every claim that political deals were made to win over holdouts, insisting that lawmakers simply “needed time to understand the bill’s latest provisions.”
Midday Wednesday, President Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to push Right-wing aligned lawmakers to unite and move his administration’s bill to a final vote.
“It looks like the House is ready to vote tonight. We had GREAT conversations all day, and the Republican House Majority is UNITED, for the Good of our Country, delivering the Biggest Tax Cuts in History and MASSIVE Growth,” Trump posted. “Let’s go, Republicans, and everyone else. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Members of the House Freedom Caucus were initially reluctant to vote, but after they supposedly talked to the POTUS, all was well in the GOP house.Â
“FOR REPUBLICANS, THIS SHOULD BE AN EASY YES VOTE. RIDICULOUS!!!” he wrote later in the night.
Fiscally conservative Republicans yield to President Trump
Towards the vote, fiscal hawks from the House Freedom Caucus were against what they viewed as “excessive spending,” unsure of how the bill would help solve the issue of a ballooning US deficit.
“The Senate doesn’t get to be the final say on everything,” said Representative Chip Roy of Texas and Freedom Caucus member. On Wednesday morning, Roy told his colleagues that enough Republicans wanted to reopen the bill and rework it, even if it meant delaying the July 4 recess. By evening, however, Roy voted in favor of bringing the bill to the floor.
Representative Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania was the only Republican to vote against the procedural motion.Â
House Democrats, though unable to win in the vote, held a press conference on the Capitol steps Wednesday, accusing Republicans of bending to Trump’s will.
“When we say the Republican Party has turned into a cult, this is what we mean,” said Representative Seth Magaziner of Rhode Island. “Our Republican colleagues are pushing a bill that would throw their constituents under the bus … all because Donald Trump wants a bill signing photo-op by the Fourth of July.”
Representative Katherine Clark of Massachusetts, the House Minority Whip, called out GOP Representative David Valadao of California. She asked how he could support the bill, given how opposed he was to deep cuts to Medicaid, a program his constituents rely on. Even with his publicly stated reservations, Valadao voted to advance the bill.
