WORLD NEWS

House Passes Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” Despite Democratic Backlash and GOP Divisions

House passes Trump’s massive tax and spending bill 218-214. Democrats slam it as a “gift to billionaires,” while Medicaid, SNAP face deep cuts. 17M may lose healthcare.
2025-07-04
House Passes Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” Despite Democratic Backlash and GOP Divisions

After a marathon 29-hour session filled with fiery debate, record-breaking speeches, and deep partisan rifts, the U.S. House of Representatives has narrowly passed President Donald Trump’s signature legislation, the “One Big Beautiful Bill.”

The final vote on Thursday stood at 218 in favor to 214 against, with all Democrats opposing the bill and two Republican defectors — Representatives Thomas Massie (Kentucky) and Brian Fitzpatrick (Pennsylvania) — voting no.

The bill now heads to the White House, where Trump is expected to sign it into law on July 4 at 4:00 p.m. Eastern time.

 

📌 What’s in the Bill?

·       Raises U.S. debt ceiling by $5 trillion

·       Permanently extends Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, largely benefiting top earners

·       Allocates billions to immigration enforcement, border security

·       Drastically scales back social safety net programs, including Medicaid and SNAP (food stamps)

·       Projected to increase U.S. deficit by $3.3 trillion over the next decade

·       17 million Americans may lose health insurance (CBO estimate)

 

🗣Democrats’ Resistance & Record Speech

The opposition was led by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who delivered a marathon 8-hour, 44-minute speech — the longest in House history — using the “magic minute” privilege. Jeffries called the bill “One Big Ugly Bill”, saying it would hurt working families while rewarding billionaires.

“We’re not here to bend the knee to any wannabe king,” Jeffries declared, drawing comparisons to the American Revolutionary War.

Democrats attempted to stall the vote to give the public more time to respond.

 

🗳Internal GOP Dissent

Although the bill passed, not all Republicans were united. Rep. Massie opposed the increase in the national debt, warning of “sustained inflation and high interest rates.” Rep. Fitzpatrick criticized the Senate changes that weakened Medicaid protections, calling them “short of our community standards.”

Even billionaire Elon Musk criticized the bill for being bloated with “pork.”

 

🏛Senate Drama & Final Passage

The bill previously passed the House in May and then narrowly cleared the Senate 50-50 earlier this week, with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote.

Though three Republican Senators defected, the GOP used the Byrd Rule to bypass the filibuster and strip provisions unrelated to budget impact.

One GOP Senator, Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), expressed regret:

“Let’s not kid ourselves. This has been an awful process… that risks hurting Alaska’s most vulnerable.”

 

📉 Public Opinion & What’s Next

Public response has been largely negative. A Quinnipiac poll found just 29% support for the bill, with 55% opposed.

Despite the backlash, Trump celebrated, calling it:

“The biggest tax cut in history… great for the southern border. We covered just about everything.”

The bill’s ceremonial signing will take place at the White House on Independence Day, a symbolic moment Trump hopes will rally his base ahead of the 2025 presidential election.