President Trump says the mammoth bill he will sign tonight at the White House will lead to America's "golden age." It's a boast the Republican Party hopes it can successfully pitch to voters during next year's elections.
"It's going to make this country into a rocket ship," Trump predicted as he left Washington to head to an event in Des Moines on Thursday. "It's going to be really great."
The House on Thursday narrowly approved a Senate-passed "big, beautiful bill" by 218 to 214 votes, with two Republicans voting "no" along with every Democrat. After arm-twisting and cajoling lawmakers overnight, Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) hailed what is likely to be the most significant piece of legislation enacted during the president's second term.
It lurched to the finish line after weeks of near revolt among the GOP conservatives, who complained there were insufficient spending cuts, and moderates who argued, at least initially, that it was a political mistake to cut Medicaid spending and federal food assistance to offset lost revenues from extended tax cuts.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), a deficit hawk who has clashed with Trump, broke from his party to vote "no" on Thursday. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) also voted against the measure on final passage.
Projected annual deficits and an increase of $5 trillion in the nation's borrowing authority stirred howls of protest among some fiscal conservatives. Johnson could forfeit only three GOP votes and wound up squeaking by on Thursday. Senators were split 50-50; it took a tie breaking vote by Vice President Vance to pass the bill.
Trump used a mixture of vinegar and honey to win over skeptics. At nearly every major juncture, Trump worked to close the deal, winning members over and wearing them down, often without making concessions or altering his strategy.
The Speaker and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) exited the legislative marathon as winners. Moderate Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) held out for sweeteners for her state during what she described as an "agonizing" decision to back the megabill after striking deals with Thune.
But recent national polls suggest the public is wary of Trump's legislative approach. The White House and Republicans in Congress say they have ample time to sell the new law to constituents. Medicaid and food stamp reductions, for example, primarily take effect in 2027, after next year's midterm elections.
Democrats argue that millions of Americans — from children to seniors, and in red and blue states — will be shortchanged by a Trump approach that nonpartisan and think tank studies suggest will provide the greatest benefits to corporations and wealthy individuals.
Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) predicted that for many families, "health care costs will go up, our emergency room wait times will go down and our nation as a whole will be sicker, hungrier and less well-off as a result of this bill."
Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.), blasted their Republican colleagues this week. Jeffries on Thursday set a new House record of 8 hours and 44 minutes during a floor speech that enumerated what he described as deficiencies and pitfalls strung together as a Trump agenda.
Most Americans likely missed Jeffries' speech ahead of a busy holiday weekend. But Rep. David Valadao (R-Calif.), seen as vulnerable for reelection in a blue-state district with a large population of Medicaid recipients, may have paid attention when Jeffries reminded his audience that the lawmaker 11 days ago vowed to oppose "harmful cuts to Medicaid" before voting Thursday to send the legislation to Trump's desk.
"It was not an easy decision for me," Valadao wrote hours later.
"This one big ugly Republican bill has put a target on their back," Jeffries said.
Axios: Inside Jeffries' decision to filibuster.
Democrats managed to change nothing about the legislation except perhaps its "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" title, which nonetheless remains its colloquial identity. Elon Musk, the tech billionaire and former head of the Department of Government Efficiency, did not have much of an impact on the legislation, either.
Musk, who broke with Trump in the spring, went on the offensive against the megabill, criticizing "every member of Congress who campaigned on reducing government spending and then immediately voted for the biggest debt increase in history." He predicted, "They will lose their primary next year if it is the last thing I do on this Earth."
Democrats, who are searching for intraparty gravity to give them a lift, vow to craft campaign ads and hold rallies quoting Republican senators who denounced the details of Trump's megabill — before voting "yes."
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who was a "no" vote, along with Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who announced a week ago that he won't seek reelection, and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who drew the line at raising the debt limit by trillions of dollars and sidestepping more than $36 trillion in national debt.
"There's going to be some powerful ads," said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) from the Senate floor while recounting what he said were real-world experiences shared by constituents.
"'My daughter had cancer. She was doing fine. Well, all of a sudden, her health care was blown up,'" he said. "'I worked at this rural hospital for 30 years. I put my heart into it because I wanted to help people. I was fired.' Stuff like that is going to really matter."
Trump, during a rally Thursday at the Iowa Fairgrounds, told supporters his party will target Democratic candidates for voting "no" on the "big, beautiful bill."
"Not one Democrat voted for us," he said. "I think we use it in the campaign that's coming up — the midterms — because we've got to beat them. All of the things that we've given and they wouldn't vote, only because they hate Trump. But I hate them, too, you know that?" he added to cheers from his audience. "I really do. I hate them. I cannot stand them because I really believe they hate our country."
The Hill: Five takeaways from the House- and Senate-passed tax and spending package.
NEWS YOU CAN USE: The "big, beautiful bill" is massive. The legislation spans 887 pages, but The Hill's team breaks down the most important cuts and programs.
What takes effect when? Tax cuts start now; program cuts are coming later. Here's a timeline of provisions in the megabill.
Medicaid cuts are coming. The bill will make sweeping changes to health care, leaving millions without health insurance and threatening rural hospitals. Here's who will be most affected.
Tax cuts: Here's a breakdown of the big tax provisions that are the megabill's GOP centerpiece. Many taxpayers, depending on household income, can continue to benefit from the array of individual income tax cuts from the 2017 Trump tax package that are set to expire at year's end.
But watch out: Trump said the megabill will eliminate taxes on Social Security. It does not. The tax bill does include a $6,000 "senior deduction." See if you qualify.
Clean energy and artificial intelligence: The bill curbs billions of dollars in spending for clean energy, resulting in increased prices for home solar power, energy efficiency and other green technologies.
Ahead of sending the bill to the House, senators voted to remove a provision barring states from regulating AI.
No comments:
Post a Comment