Trump notches 'big, beautiful' win following Jeffries' drawn-out spectacle
President Donald Trump notches the first major legislative victory of his second term in office after months of tumultuous negotiations on Capitol Hill.
The House passed the final version of the "big, beautiful bill" Thursday in a 218-214 vote after a tense overnight rules vote that was finalized just after 3:20 in the morning. The bill passed with 218 Republicans voting in favor of the legislation, while Republican Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvaniajoined 212 Democrats and voted against the bill.
Leading up to the final vote, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) gave a record-breaking eight-hour, 44-minute speech on the House floor to stall the vote, even putting a fellow Democratic lawmaker to sleep. Vice President JD Vance joked in a post on X that a GOP rep texted him about how Jeffries' speech swayed his vote.
“I was undecided on the bill but then I watched Hakeem Jeffries [sic] performance and now I’m a firm yes."
"Democrats are focused on performing," Speaker Mike Johnson said ahead of the vote. "Republicans are focused on delivering."
Although the bill has been embraced by the president and the majority of the MAGA coalition, Massie and Fitzpatrick are not the only ones who took issue with the legislation.
'This Independence Day will mark the beginning of America's golden age.'
RELATED: Vance casts tiebreaking vote after Republicans betray Trump's 'big, beautiful bill'
Leading up to the vote, several House Republicans argued the Senate had "watered down" the bill beyond recognition. Conservatives were particularly concerned that the Senate did not properly address removing Biden-era green energy subsidies as well as limiting Medicaid access for criminal illegal aliens.
Other Republicans, Massie in particular, maintained that the spending levels in the bill are unsustainable.
"There’s no such thing as a tax relief without spending cuts," Massie said. "Gov’t can reduce the tax rate, but the spending still must be paid for. Gov’t must borrow money (which raises interest rates & requires more taxes later) or print money (which causes inflation). Both hurt Americans."
Many of these conservatives who had reservations over the bill met with the president at the White House on Wednesday morning leading up to the vote. In the end, Johnson managed to get the bill across the finish line with just a fewvotes to spare. Notably, Johnson passed the first version of the bill in the House with a 215-214 vote.
RELATED: Republicans rage over Senate's ‘watered-down’ version of Trump's 'big, beautiful bill'
Vance had to cast the tiebreaking vote in the Senate on Tuesday after three Republican senators — Susan Collins of Maine, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, and Rand Paul of Kentucky — voted against the bill. Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska was also a tough sell, calling it "one of the hardest votes" she has taken during her time in the Senate.
After a record-breaking 27-hour vote-a-rama, Murkowski came around and voted to pass the bill, although she said the "bill needs more work across chambers and is not ready for the President's desk."
Despite Murkowksi's plea to continue working on the legislation, the bill is headed right to the president's desk. Trump is expected to hold a signing ceremony at the White House on July 4.
"After years of failed policies, we stepped up to put Americans first and fulfilled our promises," Republican Rep. August Pfluger of Texas told Blaze News. "On July 4, 2025, we will return power to where it belongs — with the American people. This Independence Day will mark the beginning of America's golden age."
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Vance casts tiebreaking vote after Republicans betray Trump's 'big, beautiful bill'
President Donald Trump is getting closer to codifying the first landmark legislation of his second term, but the fight is not over.
After a record-breaking 27-hour voting marathon, the Senate narrowly passed Trump's "big, beautiful bill" in a 51-50 vote. Vice President JD Vance cast the tiebreaking vote after three Senate Republicans — Susan Collins of Maine, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, and Rand Paul of Kentucky — voted against the legislation.
'This performative theatre won’t solve the problem.'
The bill is now headed back to the House, where lawmakers will scramble to meet the president's ambitious July 4 deadline.
This deadline will not be easy to meet. During the drawn-out vote-a-rama, several key provisions failed to make it into the Senate's final draft, raising concerns among House Republicans.
RELATED: GOP-controlled Senate keeps taxpayer dollars flowing to criminal aliens after parliamentarian's ruling
Several Republicans were outraged about one provision in particular. The Senate rejected an amendment that would reduce Medicaid funding for states that offer the social program to criminal aliens after the parliamentarian ruled against the provision, increasing the vote threshold from a simple majority to 60 votes.
RELATED: Republicans rage over Senate's ‘watered-down’ version of Trump's 'big, beautiful bill'
"If the Senate won’t do their job, DHS MUST," Republican Rep. Wesley Hunt of Texas said of the amendment. "Because this performative theatre won’t solve the problem. It’s great messaging, but it does nothing."
"Illegals should not get Medicaid," Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida said in a post on X. "This should not have to be said."
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Trump's 'big, beautiful' agenda passes first major Senate test
President Donald Trump's Big, Beautiful Bill passed a major procedural milestone at 11:07 p.m. Saturday night, when the United States Senate voted 51-49 to invoke cloture. Cloture is an essential step in the upper legislative chamber, limiting the remaining time members have to debate and starting the countdown to when they can vote on passage.
The late-night vote was a close call on a lengthy and arduous process. Vice President J.D. Vance was on hand at the Capitol from around 8:20 p.m. on, in case his vote was needed. In his Executive Branch capacity, Vance serves as president of the Senate -- a constitutional role that empowers him to preside over Senate proceedings and cast the tie-breaking vote in cases of gridlock.
In the end, his vote was not needed for this hurdle; Republican Sen. Ron Johnson (Wisc.) -- a Trump ally but also a fiscal hawk and vocal critic of the bill -- switched his vote to a yes, allowing cloture to proceed. Republican Sens. Rand Paul (Ky.) and Thom Tillis (N.C.) voted no. Tillis's no vote was based on objections to restrictions the bill will place on states gaming their end of the 50-50 Medicaid expenses split with the federal government. Paul, a D.C. libertarian, was never counted on for a "yes."
RELATED: The Medicaid tax trick pitting old-guard Republicans against the populist new right
The Big, Beautiful Bill, or H.R. (House Resolution) 1, as it's officially designated, funds key aspects of the White House's agenda, from deportations to border enforcement, making his first-term tax cuts permanent and adding no taxes on tips or overtime. It will be the signature legislative accomplishment of Trump's first year back in the Oval Office.
Cloture is a Senate procedure that limits further debate on a bill -- in this case, to 10 hours each, for the Republican and Democratic parties. Democrats drew the process out further by exercising their right to have Senate clerks read the bill first -- no small process for a 940-page bill. At 7:35 a.m., the Senate press gallery tweeted clerks had completed 470 pages of reading, or half of the bill, in the preceding 8 hours and 27 minutes -- setting them up for completion early Sunday evening.
Once they're done, Republicans are expected to yield most of their 10 hours -- starting the 10-hour timer for Democrats to debate passage overnight. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) will be able to hold a final vote by early Monday morning.
If the Senate passes the bill, es expected after a successful cloture vote, it will go the House of Representatives, where the president and his legislative affairs team are actively engaged in courting Republican holdouts and critics to vote yes.
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