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The House of Representatives narrowly approved President Donald Trump’s expansive tax and spending proposal, known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” with a 215-214 vote early Thursday morning.
The legislation now advances to the Senate for consideration before Memorial Day weekend.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., celebrated the bill’s passage, stating, “The media and the Democrats have consistently dismissed any possibility of House Republicans succeeding in our mission to enact President Trump’s America First agenda. Once again, they have been proven wrong.”
The bill aims to extend the 2017 tax cuts, introduce new tax exemptions for tipped income and auto loans, eliminate several green-energy subsidies and increase funding for defense and immigration enforcement. It also proposes stricter eligibility requirements for food and health assistance programs serving low-income Americans.
According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the measure would raise the U.S. debt ceiling by $3.8 trillion, bringing it to $36.2 trillion over the next decade.
Rep. Rick Allen, R-Ga., emphasized the bill’s significance, saying, “The One Big Beautiful Bill Act codifies President Trump’s priorities by providing resources to secure the border, making a generational investment in America’s defense, bolstering domestic energy dominance, avoiding the largest tax hike in history, and protecting our most vulnerable communities.”
The bill’s passage followed extensive negotiations among House Republicans, with some members expressing concerns over specific provisions. Reps. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, and Thomas Massie, R-Ky., joined Democrats in opposing the bill, while Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., voted present, allowing the measure to pass by a single vote.
President Trump pushed for the House to pass the bill after the Senate passed an earlier version in April.
“The Budget Plan just passed by the United States Senate has my Complete and Total Endorsement and Support. All of the elements we need to secure the Border, enact Historic Spending Cuts, and make Tax Cuts PERMANENT, and much more, are strongly covered and represented in the Bill,” Trump wrote on Truth Social last month.
“Thank you to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, and House Speaker Mike Johnson for their hard work and attention to detail. There is no better time than now to get this Deal DONE! The House, the Senate, and our Great Administration, are going to work tirelessly on creating “THE ONE, BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL,” an appropriate name if Congress so likes,” he continued.