Washington (AP) Republican leaders worked frantically throughout the afternoon and evening to persuade skeptics to accept President Donald Trump’s tax and spending cuts package and get it to his desk by the Fourth of July deadline, which caused the House to resume action late Wednesday after a protracted standoff.
As Speaker Mike Johnson ordered members back to Washington, the day became one of hard pauses and swift beginnings. In an attempt to capitalize on the momentum created by the 887-bill’s approval in the Senate the previous day, GOP leadership pledged to give it immediate consideration.
However, following a brief procedural vote in the morning, the chamber was inactive for over seven hours while other members moved in and out of the speaker’s office for private discussions and GOP leaders met with Trump at the White House.
According to the top four House GOP leaders, the Senate passed the bill Tuesday, owing to Vice President JD Vance’s tiebreaking vote. “The American people gave us a clear mandate, and after four years of Democrat failure, we intend to deliver without delay,” they declared.
It’s a bold move intended to satisfy Trump’s insistence on a holiday conclusion. Republicans have fought the plan fiercely at almost every stage this year, frequently winning by a slim margin of just one vote. There is minimal opportunity for defections due to their slim 220-212 majority.
Less than 24 hours after the Senate version was passed, a number of Republicans are objecting to being expected to rubber-stamp it. While conservatives have criticized the Senate measure for deviating from their budgetary objectives, several moderate Republicans from competitive districts have voiced their disapproval of the Medicaid cuts.
Johnson and his group must persuade them that the negotiating period is finished. To seal the agreement, they will require Trump’s help, and lawmakers are going to the White House for a two-hour meeting to discuss their concerns with the president.
“We’re on a roll,” the president declared, according to Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C. This is what he wants to see.
To get past a wall of united Democratic resistance, Republicans are depending on their majority in Congress. In the Senate, no Democrat supported the bill, and in the House, no Democrat was anticipated to do so either.
Absolutely not! Outside the Capitol, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries was accompanied by other Democrats.
However, a resolution outlining the parameters for discussing Trump’s bill barely passed the House Rules Committee on Wednesday morning, indicating early reluctance among House Republicans. Once it reached the full House, it paused while GOP leadership negotiated behind closed doors with holdouts and awaited the return of lawmakers who were delayed.
As pizzas and other foods began to arrive at the Capitol around dusk, it was unclear what would happen next.
Trump pushes Republicans to do the right thing
In addition to temporarily adding new tax benefits that Trump pledged during the 2024 campaign, the plan would prolong and permanently implement a number of individual and business tax breaks from his first term. This includes giving employees the ability to deduct overtime and gratuities, as well as a $6,000 deduction for the majority of older persons making less than $75,000. Over a ten-year period, the law includes around $4.5 trillion in tax savings.
Additionally, the agreement allocates roughly $350 billion for Trump’s immigration enforcement and defense. Republicans cut Medicaid and food assistance money to help cover some of the costs. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the law will increase the national debt by around $3.3 trillion over the next ten years.
Despite concerns about expenditure cuts and the overall cost, the House passed its version of the measure in May by a single vote. It is currently being asked to grant the last section to a version that, in many ways, makes those worries worse. For instance, the Senate bill is expected to have a much greater effect on the national debt.
In a late-night message, Trump stated, “Let’s go, Republicans and everyone else.”
The high price of opposing Trump s bill
Johnson is determined to fulfill Trump’s schedule and is placing a wager that reluctant Republicans won’t defy the president because to the significant political cost they would incur.
All they have to do is turn to Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., who over the weekend declared he would vote against the bill. Soon, the president was blasting the senator on social media and demanding a primary challenger. Tillis declared right away that he will not run for a third term.
Trump’s well-funded political campaign is focusing on Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, a House Republican who has voiced opposition to the bill.
Democrats target vulnerable Republicans to join them in opposition
New York Democratic Leader Jeffries, flanked by almost all of his caucus members, sent a clear message: Since all Democrats voted against the bill, they only need to flip four Republicans to stop it from passing.
Invoking the bravery of the late Senator John McCain, Jeffries refused to support the Republican Party’s attempt to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. He specifically targeted Republicans from districts that were predicted to be very competitive in 2026, including two from Pennsylvania.
For what reason would Rob Bresnahan support this legislation? For what reason would Scott Perry support this bill? “I said.”
Democrats have painted the plan in a bleak light, claiming that cuts to food stamps would actually be tearing food from the lips of seniors, veterans, and children, and that Medicaid cuts would result in deaths, Jeffries said Monday.
Republicans claim they are working to eliminate what they call waste, fraud, and abuse and to resize safety net programs to better serve the demographics they were intended to assist, primarily children, the disabled, and pregnant women.
The package applies current work requirements in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, to more recipients and adds new 80-hour work requirements per month for many Medicaid-eligible adults. Additionally, states will bear a larger portion of the expense of food benefits.
However, the tax cuts are the main motivator for the plan. If Congress does nothing, a lot of them expire at the end of this year.
According to the Tax Policy Center, a nonpartisan organization that analyzes tax and budget policy, the plan would provide the lowest quintile of Americans a $150 tax reduction next year, the middle quintile a $1,750 tax cut, and the wealthiest quintile a $10,950 tax cut. That contrasts with what they would have to deal with if the tax cuts from 2017 ended.
