by Erik Wasson, Steven T. Dennis, Ken Tran and Jack Fitzpatrick
House Republicans overcame a critical procedural hurdle to advance Donald Trump’s massive tax and spending package early Thursday, holding a key vote open for hours past midnight as the president and his allies worked to win them over.
The House finally voted 219-213 to essentially move toward a final vote on Trump’s “big beautiful bill,” which includes tax cuts Republicans campaigned on, a phase-out of Biden-era clean energy incentives and funding for the president’s crackdown on illegal immigration.
Debate began immediately on the legislation, setting up a potential final vote for later in the morning in Washington, ahead of Trump’s self-imposed July 4 deadline.
Even with the extended delay, the GOP’s ability to get past the procedural vote bodes well for final passage of Trump’s signature legislation. Speaker Mike Johnson — who repeatedly voiced optimism about the legislation even as the overnight hours ticked away — can only afford three defections in the tightly divided House.
“We have the votes,” Johnson told reporters just after 3 a.m. on Thursday. “We’re still going to meet the deadline.”
Despite Republicans controlling both the US House and Senate, Trump’s signature legislation ran into resistance from cost-conscious conservatives as well as swing-district moderates, who worry the measure cuts too deeply into Medicaid and other safety-net programs.
The president voiced his frustration with the delay shortly after midnight Washington time, more than two and a half hours after the vote began.
“Largest Tax Cuts in History and a Booming Economy vs. Biggest Tax Increase in History, and a Failed Economy,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. “What are the Republicans waiting for??? What are you trying to prove??? MAGA IS NOT HAPPY, AND IT’S COSTING YOU VOTES!!!”
In the end, Johnson lost just one Republican, Representative Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania.
The House vote in question was on the rule governing debate for the underlying tax measure. Historically, those are routine, party-line votes. However, in a House closely divided they can also become a venue for opponents to flex their leverage and seek to win concessions.
As House leaders furiously cajoled the holdouts and rebels, Johnson vowed to keep pressing through the night.
“I’ll keep it open for as long as it takes to make sure we’ve got everybody here accounted for and all the questions answered,” Johnson said in an interview on Fox News.
Trump and Johnson had projected confidence ahead of the critical procedural vote.
“We had GREAT conversations all day, and the Republican House Majority is UNITED, for the Good of our Country, delivering the Biggest Tax Cuts in History and MASSIVE Growth,” the president said in a post on Truth Social.
Republican Representative Warren Davidson of Ohio, a fiscal conservative who voted against the initial House version of the legislation in May, eventually agreed to back the bill.
“This bill isn’t perfect, but it’s the best we’ll get,” Davidson said in a social media post before the vote.
A key issue for many reluctant Republicans is cost. The $3.4 trillion Senate bill adds more to the deficit than an earlier House version which clocked in at $2.8 trillion, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
Any changes to the measure made to win over restive House Republicans would have forced the Senate to vote again on the bill, blowing Trump’s July 4 deadline, and adding weeks of potential delay to his flagship measure.
Instead of entertaining changes to the bill text itself, the White House instead explored with Republican lawmakers if their priorities could be addressed in other ways, such as by executive actions or in future legislation.
Trump repeatedly blasted Republican lawmakers resisting the legislation as “grandstanders” and threatened to oppose reelection of members who block his agenda.
“We are going to get this done. Trump is the best closer,” Representative Richard Hudson of North Carolina, one of the House’s vote-counting whips, said. “The White House has made it clear we are done negotiating. It’s time to pass the bill.”
Copyright Bloomberg News
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