Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ heads to the Senate
WASHINGTON—The Republican-controlled US House of Representatives on Thursday passed a sweeping tax and spending bill that would deliver new tax breaks but add trillions more to the country’s debt.
The bill, passed by a single-vote margin, would fulfill many of Trump’s populist campaign pledges like no tax on tips and car loans and boosting spending on the military and border enforcement.
It will add about $3.8 trillion to the federal government’s $36.2 trillion in debt over the next decade, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.
“This is arguably the most significant piece of Legislation that will ever be signed in the History of our Country!” Trump wrote on social media.
The package passed in a 215-214 vote after a marathon push that kept lawmakers debating the bill through two successive nights.
All of the chamber’s Democrats and two Republicans voted against it, while a third Republican voted “present,” neither for nor against the bill.
Another Republican missed the vote because he had fallen asleep.
Narrow majority
With a narrow 220-212 majority, House Speaker Mike Johnson could not afford to lose more than a handful of votes from his side, and he made several last-minute changes to satisfy various Republican factions.
“The House has passed generational, truly nation-shaping legislation,” Johnson said.
What Trump has dubbed a “big, beautiful bill” now heads to the Senate, which Republicans control by a 53-47 margin.
Several said they would seek substantial changes over what is likely to be weeks of debate. “Senators are going to want to put their own imprint on it,” said Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri.
The 1,100-page bill would extend corporate and individual tax cuts passed in 2017 during Trump’s first term in office, cancel many green-energy incentives passed by Democratic former President Joe Biden and tighten eligibility for health and food programs for the poor, specifically illegal aliens.
Immigration
It also would fund Trump’s crackdown on immigration, adding tens of thousands of border guards and creating the capacity to deport up to 1 million people each year.
Regulations on firearm silencers would be loosened.
Democrats blasted the bill as disproportionately benefiting the wealthy while cutting benefits for working Americans.
The CBO found it would reduce income for the poorest 10 percent of US households and boost income for the top 10 percent.
“This bill is a scam, a tax scam designed to steal from you, the American people, and give to Trump’s millionaire and billionaire friends,” Democratic Rep. Jim McGovern said.
Democrats have also opposed efforts by the Trump administration to eliminate fraud, waste and abuse by attacking the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency or Doge.
The bill passed despite growing concerns over the US debt, which has reached 124 percent of GDP, prompting a downgrade of the United States’ top-notch credit rating by Moody’s last week.
The US government has recorded budget deficits every year of this century, as Republican and Democratic administrations alike have failed to bring spending into alignment with revenue.
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