House Republicans have officially approved and passed a substantial GOP bill worth trillions of dollars, achieving a close win for President Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson. The news comes amidst the tense negotiations with conservative holdouts. It was an accomplishment for Johnson, as he navigated deep in-party friction within the House GOP Conference, to deliver on the bill.
House Passes Trump GOP Bill
Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” passed with a narrow vote of 215 to 214, with two Republicans aligning with Democrats to oppose it. Now, the bill goes to the Senate, which has to approve or change specific provisions. The GOP bill was granted celebrations by Trump’s team, with Johnson saying it “gets Americans back to winning again.”
The bill has been a massive push for Trump, as he urged his fellow Republicans to pass the bill during negotiations. There has been looming anxiety about how the bill would change healthcare, one of the many issues Americans have spoken out about. The GOP Bill renews tax cuts implemented in 2017 during Trump’s first term, which are set to expire soon.
Temporarily, the legislation takes out taxes on overtime work and tips, which are both crucial promises Trump made to his supporters during his 2024 campaign. Before the vote came to pass, Johnson said, “What we’re going to do here this morning is truly historic, and it will make all the difference in the daily lives of hard-working Americans.” In addition, the GOP bill makes vast spending cuts.
Spending Cuts On the Horizon
The spending cuts include the Medicaid healthcare program for lower-income Americans and SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), which over 40 million Americans use for food assistance. The cuts were the reason for the intense conflicts among Republicans, which were finally resolved once Trump traveled to Capitol Hill on Tuesday. Privately, Trump urged lawmakers to unite on the bill and overcome their objections. The bill was met with fierce opposition by the Democrats.
They also urgently warned that the controversial GOP bill could hurt many lower-income Americans. On the House floor, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said, “Children will get hurt. Women will get hurt. Older Americans who rely on Medicaid for nursing home care and for home care will get hurt. People with disabilities who rely on Medicaid to survive will get hurt. Hospitals in your district will close. Nursing homes will shut down.”
Final Thoughts
The 1,000-page bill document was released just hours before lawmakers voted on it. In other words, some provisions and other factors could have yet to be discovered. The Senate has to approve the bill, and could modify the process over time. If the lawmakers approve the bill in the Senate, it will go back to the House for another crucial vote, with a possibility of things going wrong.
Even with the narrow victory, the Republican House majority is still vulnerable to any shift in public perception. It remains to be seen if the midterms will shift control of that chamber to Democrats and halt Trump’s legislative moves. In other news, in his podcast, Amanda Knox met with Joe Rogan and discussed her wrongful imprisonment.
