House Republicans successfully passed their domestic policy megabill early Thursday morning in a 215-214 vote that marked a significant victory for Speaker Mike Johnson after weeks of internal party conflict. The sweeping legislation, which includes new tax cuts and hundreds of billions in funding for military and border security, passed just before 7 a.m. following an all-night session that began Wednesday evening at 11 p.m.
According to Politico, the vote represented a major achievement for Johnson, who managed to keep his conference largely unified despite days of intensive negotiations with holdout members. Only two Republicans joined Democrats in opposition: Representatives Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Warren Davidson of Ohio. Representative Andy Harris of Maryland, chair of the hard-right Freedom Caucus, voted present rather than yes or no.
Speaker Johnson delivered his final floor speech before the passage vote, declaring that after a long week and night of work, it was quite literally again morning in America, referencing former President Ronald Reagan’s famous 1984 campaign advertisement. He characterized the legislation as historic, nation-shaping, and life-changing, claiming it represents the most consequential legislation any party has ever passed under such a thin majority.
Trump endorses legislation as most significant in American history
President Donald Trump strongly endorsed the bill on Truth Social Thursday morning, calling it arguably the most significant piece of legislation that will ever be signed in the history of the country. Trump praised Johnson and House leadership while urging Senate Republicans to send the bill to his desk as soon as possible. The legislation bears the title “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” at Trump’s suggestion.
The bill’s passage was facilitated by a 42-page amendment approved by the House Rules Committee after more than 21 hours of markup sessions. These changes included numerous provisions designed to win over Republican holdouts who had previously opposed the measure. Key revisions moved up the start date for Medicaid work requirements from January 1, 2029, to December 31, 2026, and expanded criteria for states that could lose federal payments if they provide coverage to undocumented individuals.
Additional last-minute changes weakened clean electricity investment and production tax credits from the Democrats’ 2022 climate law, a modification that clean energy developers warn could make these credits largely unusable. Republicans from blue states secured an increased cap on state and local tax deductions to $40,000 per household with an income limit of $500,000. Fiscal conservatives opposed this SALT increase but accepted it in exchange for the Medicaid modifications.
The legislation now moves to the Senate, where Republicans are expected to significantly modify many policy provisions that House GOP hardliners had sought. Democrats have criticized the bill, with Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries arguing that it funds tax cuts for wealthy Americans through reductions to safety-net programs like Medicaid and SNAP food assistance. Nonpartisan forecasts suggest the bill could increase the federal deficit by trillions of dollars and cause more than 10 million people to lose health care coverage while shifting resources from lowest-income households to the wealthiest Americans.
Published: May 22, 2025 09:45 am