The House of Representatives voted to move forward with President Donald Trump’s $3.3 trillion bill, called a “big, beautiful bill,” bringing it closer to final approval in Congress. This was a big win for House Speaker Mike Johnson from Louisiana, even though some challenges remain.
Lawmakers voted 219 to 213 early Thursday to start debating the huge bill, a step called a “rule vote.” This sets up a final vote in the House later this morning. Only one Republican, moderate Brian Fitzpatrick from Pennsylvania, voted against moving forward.
The vote was delayed for hours because five Republicans threatened to block the bill. Some conservative members of the House Freedom Caucus were unhappy with the compromise bill and considered not voting at all. However, Johnson and Trump negotiated with these lawmakers, which helped get enough support.
The process might still take time. Democrats could use procedural tactics to slow things down, like they did when the bill barely passed the House in May. Some moderate and conservative Republicans might also oppose the bill itself.
Conservatives were upset about changes the Senate made to the bill, saying they would increase the federal deficit by billions. But pressure from House GOP leaders and Trump convinced most to support it.
The Senate passed its version of the bill on Tuesday, changing parts about Medicaid costs, taxes, and raising the debt ceiling. Moderates worry the Senate’s changes put more Medicaid costs on states that expanded the program under Obamacare. Conservatives say the cuts don’t balance out the bill’s extra spending.
Two Freedom Caucus members, Reps. Ralph Norman from South Carolina and Chip Roy from Texas, voted against the bill in the Rules Committee’s 12-hour meeting. Johnson had asked the Senate to make minimal changes, but the Senate’s bill passed narrowly, with Vice President JD Vance breaking the tie.
“I’m not happy with what the Senate did to our product,” Johnson told reporters Tuesday. “We understand this is a process that goes back and forth, and we’ll be working to get all of our members to yes.”
Trump posted on Truth Social, urging House Republicans to support the bill: “It is no longer a ‘House Bill’ or a ‘Senate Bill’. It is everyone’s Bill. There is so much to be proud of, and EVERYONE got a major Policy WIN — But, the Biggest Winner of them all will be the American People, who will have Permanently Lower Taxes, Higher Wages and Take Home Pay, Secure Borders, and a Stronger and More Powerful Military.”
He added, “We can have all of this right now, but only if the House GOP UNITES, ignores its occasional ‘GRANDSTANDERS (You know who you are!), and does the right thing, which is sending this Bill to my desk. We are on schedule — Let’s keep it going, and be done before you and your family go on a July 4th vacation. The American People need and deserve it. They sent us here to, GET IT DONE.”
Both the House and Senate have very small Republican majorities, making votes tight. The bill keeps the lower income tax brackets from Trump’s 2017 tax law permanent and adds tax breaks for tipped and overtime wages, plus a new deduction for people over 65. It also cuts green energy tax credits from Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which Trump calls the “Green New Scam.”
The bill increases funding for national defense and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for Trump’s immigration crackdown. It raises the debt limit by $5 trillion to avoid a financial crisis if the U.S. can’t pay its debts. It also adds work requirements for Medicaid and food assistance programs.
Democrats say the bill gives tax breaks to the rich and cuts benefits for working-class Americans. Republicans argue it helps the middle and working classes with tax cuts on wages and reforms welfare programs to better serve those in need.
Democratic Rep. Maxwell Frost from Florida said Democrats would try to delay the bill: “This last go around, we were able to delay the bill upwards of 30 hours. And so we’re going to do the same thing, do everything we can from a procedural point of view to delay this.”
Weather delays in Washington also raised concerns about lawmakers reaching Capitol Hill on time. “We’re monitoring the weather closely,” Johnson told reporters. “There’s a lot of delays right now.”
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