The passage of US President Donald Trump's signature tax and spending legislation, dubbed the "One Big Beautiful Bill," faced intense Republican infighting but appeared poised for final approval in the House of Representatives. After nearly 24 hours of debate, the bill, considered the centerpiece of the president's domestic agenda and his "America First" agenda, was on the verge of being signed into law, despite significant misgivings within his own party regarding its potential to balloon the national debt and its historic assault on the social safety net.

Speaker Mike Johnson endured a challenging night, striving to maintain party unity after the sprawling package barely cleared a series of "test" votes in the House, which starkly revealed deep divisions among Republicans. The bill was on track for a conclusive vote that would send it to Trump's desk, having surmounted its final procedural hurdle in the early hours of Thursday. An optimistic Johnson expressed confidence, stating, "We feel very good about where we are and we're moving forward... we're going to deliver the Big, Beautiful Bill... and we're going to do right by the American people."

However, the legislative timetable faced potential delays due to Democratic minority leader Hakeem Jeffries's extended speech in opposition to the bill, prolonging proceedings by several hours. Originally approved by the House in May, Trump's extensive legislation narrowly passed the Senate on Tuesday but necessitated a return to the lower chamber for a procedural endorsement of the senators' revisions.

The comprehensive package is designed to fulfill numerous campaign promises made by Trump, including a significant boost in military spending, funding for a large-scale migrant deportation initiative, and a commitment of $4.5 trillion to extend his administration's initial tax relief measures. Conversely, critics project that the bill will contribute an additional $3.4 trillion to the nation's rapidly expanding deficits over the next decade. Furthermore, it proposes substantial reductions, including shrinking the federal food stamps program and enacting the most significant cuts to the Medicaid health insurance scheme for low-income Americans since its inception in the 1960s. The 869-page text, refined with tweaks in the Senate, offsets its tax relief with approximately $1 trillion in healthcare cuts, with some analyses estimating that up to 17 million individuals could lose their insurance coverage under the bill. Scores of rural hospitals are also anticipated to face closure as a result of these cuts.

Internal Republican dissent was notable, with moderates expressing concern that the proposed cuts could jeopardize their chances of re-election, while fiscal conservatives voiced dissatisfaction that the savings fell considerably short of original promises. Johnson operated with extremely tight margins, capable of losing only about three lawmakers in the decisive vote, even as more than two dozen had indicated a willingness to reject Trump's legislation. The bill's path was further complicated by an unprecedented procedural vote that remained open for seven hours and 31 minutes—the longest in House history—highlighting the struggle to secure support. Trump himself exerted pressure via his Truth Social platform, vehemently urging Republicans to cast "AN EASY YES VOTE," expressing increasing frustration as the marathon voting session extended into Thursday.

House Democrats have signaled their intention to leverage the bill as a central issue in their campaign to regain control of the chamber in the 2026 midterm elections. They point to various analyses that suggest the legislation represents a "historic redistribution of wealth" from the nation's poorest citizens to its wealthiest. Prior to the final vote, Representative Jeffries occupied the floor for over three hours, sharing narratives of ordinary Americans whom he argued would be adversely affected by Trump's legislation. He denounced the bill as "this one big, ugly bill—this reckless Republican budget, this disgusting abomination—is not about improving the quality of life of the American people." The impending vote marked a crucial moment for Trump's domestic agenda and the future direction of US fiscal and social policy.