The U.S. House of Representatives is on track to pass Donald Trump's tax and spending bill Thursday, allowing
House Republicans overcame a critical procedural obstacle to advance the 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 over holdouts.
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
"We have the votes," Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters just after 3 a.m. on Thursday. "We're still going to meet the deadline."
Despite Republicans controlling both the U.S. House and Senate, Trump's signature legislation ran into objections from cost-conscious conservatives as well as swing-district moderates, who worry the measure cuts too deeply into
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'Costing you votes'
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 so sharply divided they can also become a venue for opponents to flex their leverage and seek to win concessions.
As Republican 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.
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Delivering the bill
Trump and Johnson had projected confidence before 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 support the measure.
"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.
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'Time to pass'
Any changes to the measure made to win over restive House Republicans would have forced the Senate to vote again, 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 assailed 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."
