President Trump is set to sign his long-promised “Big Beautiful Bill” after the House of Representatives narrowly approved the sweeping legislation Thursday night, capping a grueling 29-hour legislative push that shattered multiple procedural records.
The final vote on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB) came in at 218-214, with just two Republicans—Reps. Thomas Massie (KY) and Brian Fitzpatrick (PA)—breaking ranks. The bill now heads to Trump’s desk for a ceremonial signing during a July 4 celebration at the White House.
“This is a declaration of independence from national decline,” Trump said during a rally in Iowa, touting the legislation as a fulfillment of his 2024 campaign pledges.
The 870-page bill includes a range of Trump administration priorities: making 2017 tax cuts permanent, increasing funding for border security, boosting defense and energy production, and slashing discretionary domestic spending.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) led the marathon effort to push the bill through Congress. The Senate passed its version Tuesday with a 51-50 vote, with Vice President JD Vance casting the tiebreaker.
Tensions and Last-Minute Deals
The House battle featured the longest floor speech and procedural vote in the chamber’s history. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) used his “magic minute” to stall for nearly nine hours by reading emotional letters from constituents concerned about Medicaid cuts.
“It takes a lot longer to build a lie than to tell the simple truth,” Johnson retorted in a closing 24-minute speech before the vote.
Jeffries’ extended speech drew ridicule from Republicans. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) mocked Democrats for appearing to fall asleep during the delay, calling it “a performance of scare tactics and gloom.”
The vote followed intense 11th-hour negotiations at the White House. Trump personally lobbied more than a dozen GOP holdouts, including Freedom Caucus members and fiscal hawks.
Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), one of the key swing votes, said he flipped after securing private assurances on executive action targeting Medicaid waste and green energy subsidies.
Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.), chair of the Freedom Caucus, also reversed his opposition following what he called “significant agreements,” the details of which he declined to share but said would become apparent in the coming months.
Republican Unity Tested
Despite near-unanimous GOP support, the bill revealed growing rifts within the party. Rep. Massie opposed nearly every iteration of the legislation, citing concerns over its projected $3.9 trillion impact on the federal deficit over 10 years.
Fitzpatrick objected to the Senate’s changes to Medicaid funding, saying they didn’t go far enough to protect vulnerable beneficiaries.
To bypass a Senate filibuster, Republicans used the budget reconciliation process. The original House version, passed in May by a single vote, would have added $3 trillion to the deficit. The Senate’s version pushed the total to nearly $4 trillion, per the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.
One major concession was the raising of the state and local tax (SALT) deduction cap from $10,000 to $40,000 for most households earning under $500,000—a key demand of blue-state Republicans.
Looking Ahead
Speaker Johnson hinted at more fiscal reform ahead, confirming plans for at least two additional reconciliation bills in the coming year and the introduction of rescission packages to roll back spending.
“The White House is sending us lists of wasteful programs to eliminate,” Johnson told Fox News. “We’re going to appropriate at lower levels. It won’t be instant, but we are restoring fiscal sanity.”
Sen. JD Vance celebrated the victory on X, writing: “Big tax cuts. Border security. Promises made, promises kept!”
Trump’s team now looks to the July 4th signing ceremony as a symbolic start to what they call “the second American comeback.”
