Former President Donald Trump took aim at House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries after the Democrat delivered a record-breaking eight-hour floor speech in a failed attempt to block the GOP’s sweeping tax and spending bill, which passed narrowly on Thursday.
The legislation — Trump’s top domestic priority — includes massive tax breaks, steep cuts to Medicaid and food assistance programs, and major funding for national security and immigration enforcement. It passed the House 218–214, with all Democrats and two Republicans voting against it.
Trump signed the bill into law on Friday evening during the White House’s Fourth of July picnic, celebrating what he called a “historic win” — and ridiculing Jeffries in the process.
“You saw that guy standing for hours — he didn’t even know what he was doing there,” Trump said. “I asked, when is he going to sit down? He’s got a towel wiping his face. That’s not elegant. What is he even talking about?”
Trump dismissed Democratic warnings as fearmongering, mocking their opposition:
“They say, ‘If he passes this, everybody’s going to die.’ No — it’s the opposite. Everybody’s going to live. If Democrats say something negative, it’s a con job.”
What’s in the “Big Beautiful Bill”?
The newly passed legislation extends and expands Trump-era tax cuts, including:
- $4.5 trillion in tax breaks from 2017 that were set to expire
- A $6,000 deduction for most older Americans earning under $75,000
- Tax relief on tips and overtime pay
- $350 billion in national security and immigration enforcement funding
- $1.2 trillion in cuts to Medicaid and SNAP (food stamps)
House Speaker Mike Johnson celebrated the bill’s passage, declaring:
“With one big, beautiful bill, we’re going to make this country stronger, safer, and more prosperous than ever before.”
Critics Warn of Dire Consequences
Democrats fiercely opposed the bill, with Jeffries using his leadership “magic minute” to deliver an eight-hour filibuster-style speech, slamming the bill as dangerous and immoral. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the package will add $3.3 trillion to the national deficit over the next decade and strip health coverage from more than 11 million Americans.
Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin didn’t hold back:
“Americans will starve, lose medical care, lose their jobs — and yes, some will die as a result of this bill.”
He added,
“This massive scheme to steal from working families, children, and seniors will devastate communities across America — red states and blue states alike.”
Martin vowed that Democrats would keep fighting the bill, which he described as “one of the worst in our nation’s history.”
Despite the heated rhetoric, Trump and his allies have framed the legislation as a signature achievement of his second term — and a bold rejection of what they call the failures of the Biden era.
