In a major win for the MAGA movement, the Republican-led House finally passed President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” by the slimmest of margins.
Speaker Mike Johnson overcame fierce Democrat opposition and GOP holdouts to deliver on the president’s sweeping tax and immigration priorities in a 215-214 vote.
The landmark legislation now faces its next battle in the Senate as Democrats plot to derail this critical component of President Trump’s America First vision.
The narrowly passed bill represents a significant achievement for both the president and the speaker of the House.
It also comes after days of intense negotiations within the Republican conference.
With a razor-thin majority, every vote was crucial as the massive 1,000-page legislation contains cornerstone policies for President Trump’s second term.
These include tax cuts, border security funding, and energy independence initiatives.
Speaker Johnson declared:
“Nothing in Congress is ever easy, especially when you have small margins, but we are going to land this plane and deliver this and we’re proud of what we’ve accomplished together. Every member of the conference can be proud of this legislation in the end. It’s truly [a] nation shaping piece of legislation.”
The bill delivers on multiple conservative priorities by extending the 2017 Trump tax cuts, increasing defense and border security funding, implementing Medicaid work requirements, and rolling back wasteful green energy tax incentives.
An additional $12 billion has been allocated specifically for border security, addressing the immigration crisis that the Biden-Harris administration refused to tackle.
President Trump himself played a critical role in securing passage, meeting with Johnson and right-wing holdouts at the White House and making it clear that opposition to the bill would be seen as a “betrayal.”
“If you vote no, you’re voting against American energy, you’re voting against securing America’s border, you’re voting against helping those middle-class families,” said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, urging Republicans to support the bill.
The legislation includes the innovative “Trump Accounts” for retirement savings and removes tax on firearm silencers by amending the National Firearms Act.
Democrats unanimously opposed the bill. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries even called it a “reckless, regressive and reprehensible GOP tax scam.”
The legislation faced some resistance within Republican ranks. GOP Representatives Thomas Massie and Warren Davidson voted against the bill, while House Freedom Caucus chairman Andy Harris voted present.
Johnson successfully navigated these challenges by introducing a 42-page manager’s amendment addressing concerns from budget hawks and blue-state Republicans.
“To our friends in the Senate, I would just say, the president is waiting with his pen,” Speaker Johnson stated. He expects the upper chamber to advance this crucial legislation quickly.
Republicans are using the budget reconciliation process to bypass a Democrat filibuster in the Senate, though the bill still faces challenges from some moderate GOP senators.
Senate Minority Whip John Thune acknowledged, “There are dials and tweaks on some of the tax issues that our members will want to talk about.”
The White House Office of Management and Budget has already expressed support for the bill. Speaker Johnson aims to have the final legislation on President Trump’s desk by July 4.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent emphasized the urgency of raising the debt limit by mid-July to prevent a default, adding another layer of importance to the bill’s timely passage.
