Dems Have Uphill Battle to Explain Cons of Trump Tax Bill, Wendy Schiller

Donald Trump's tax and spending bill cleared a key procedural hurdle early Thursday morning to move towards a final vote. Despite Republicans controlling both the US 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 Medicaid and other safety-net programs. Johnson could only afford three defections in his chamber. The fiscal package has run into resistance both from the conservatives and from swing-district moderates worried the measure cuts too deeply into Medicaid and other safety-net programs, but because the cuts are delayed Brown University Professor Wendy Schiller warns they will be harder to explain to the public.

The US House of Representatives is on track to pass Donald Trump’s tax and spending bill Thursday, allowing lawmakers to meet the president’s self-imposed July 4 deadline after negotiating all night long.

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 clean energy incentives and funding for the president’s crackdown on illegal immigration.

The White House plans to hold a signing ceremony for the bill on Friday, according to a person familiar with the plan.

“We have the votes,” Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters just after 3 a.m. on Thursday. “We’re still going to meet the deadline.”

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries during a marathon speech on the chamber floor Thursday morning called the bill an “all-out assault” on health coverage and social safety-net programs.

Despite Republicans controlling both the US 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 Medicaid and other safety-net programs. Johnson can only afford three defections in his chamber.

House Republican Leader Steve Scalise said the key to breaking the logjam was Trump telling the holdouts there would be no further changes to the bill.

Representative Timothy Burchett, a Tennessee Republican, said the White House also gave holdouts assurances of executive actions and a possible second budget bill to address their concerns about spending and illegal immigration. Trump promised to vigorously enforce a phaseout of wind and solar credits and to ensure undocumented immigrants don’t receive Medicaid, he added.

“His administration really showed they wanted to work with us and that’s a good indicator to me of things to come,” he said.

‘Costing You Votes’

Yet 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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