The US House of Representatives passed the "Big and Beautiful" tax and spending bill

The US House of Representatives passed the "Big and Beautiful" tax and spending bill promoted by President Trump on the eve of Independence Day.

According to reports from Bloomberg and The New York Times, the Republican-controlled US House of Representatives passed a nearly 1,000-page big and beautiful bill on Thursday afternoon (July 3) with 218 votes in favor and 214 against, sending it to Trump for signature before the July 4 deadline set by him.

Trump has leveraged his influence over the Republican Party to counter resistance from both conservative hardliners within the Party and moderate Republicans in swing states by employing measures such as primary challenge threats, White House lobbying meetings, and golf course socializing.

To persuade a small group of Republican opponents to change their minds, House Speaker Johnson had to suspend the crucial procedural voting for several hours.

In the end, only two Republicans - Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania - voted against along with 212 Democrats.

The Big and Beautiful Act extends the tax cuts that Trump introduced during his first term and were originally due to expire at the end of this year. At the same time, it adds new measures for certain tips and overtime pay that Trump promised during his 2024 presidential campaign, with a total cost of up to 4.5 trillion US dollars.

The bill also increases defense and border security funds, cuts nearly one trillion US dollars in federal Medicaid, further reduces food aid and other government assistance to the poor, and gradually eliminates the clean energy tax credit passed during the Biden administration.

In addition, the bill will raise the debt ceiling by 5 trillion US dollars. Republicans are usually reluctant to support this measure, but it is necessary to avoid a federal government default later this year.

White House Press Secretary Levitt said that Trump will sign the Big and Beautiful Act into law at 5 p.m. on Friday (the 4th).

House Republican Leader Karis attributed the passage of the Big and Beautiful Bill to Trump, saying, "Once the president takes action, they have no chance to sing - we just vote."

Democrats claim that the Big and Beautiful Act, which offers tax cuts to the rich, will deprive millions of people who rely on Medicaid of their medical security.

Earlier this week, the vote was locked in a 50-50 deadlock as three Republican senators defected and cast opposing votes along with Democrats. Eventually, Vice President Vance cast the decisive vote, allowing the bill to pass in the Senate.