The US House of Representatives has advanced President Donald Trump’s sweeping tax-cut and spending bill.
This marked a procedural step setting the stage for possible passage of the legislation in a vote expected later in the day.
A group of House Republican holdouts fell in line behind Trump and agreed to allow his agenda to come to the floor — reversing course after days of threatening to block the bill and putting it on track for final passage.
That includes some House hardliners who have complained that the package would add $3.3 trillion to the deficit over the next decade, as well as moderate-leaning members who have concerns about Medicaid cuts.
The House cleared a key procedural hurdle and voted to advance the bill in the early hours of Thursday morning – after Republican leaders held open the vote on the rule to govern debate on the bill for an extended period of time as they worked to flip “no” votes and win over key holdouts.
The House voted 219-213 with only one GOP no vote; Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick.
After the House voted to advance the bill, a final debate on the floor began.
House Minority Leader, Hakeem Jeffries used his “magic minute,” to draw out debate on Republicans’ megabill and express Democratic opposition to what he described as the “one big ugly bill.”
Jeffries went on to call the proposed piece of legislation a “disgusting abomination”, a “GOP tax scam that guts Medicaid” and “rips food from the mouths of children, seniors and veterans and rewards billionaires with massive tax breaks.”
“Every single Democrat stands in strong opposition to this bill because we are standing up for the American people.”
Hakeem Jeffries
His address included the testimonies of people relying on Medicaid and SNAP who are concerned about the cuts outlined in the bill.
Medicaid helps low-income people and those with disabilities, while the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program helps people afford groceries.
House Speaker, Mike Johnson is expected to follow Jeffries once he’s done.
Johnson, for his part, is expected to deliver a much shorter speech, which is likely to be followed swiftly by the final vote.
House To Take Final Vote On Trump’s Megabill
The debate will be followed by a final vote on the bill.
Republican leaders believe they will now have the votes to actually pass Trump’s giant tax and spending cuts package when it does come to a full floor vote, but it is not yet certain.
Final passage is expected later Thursday morning, after debate, though timing remains fluid.
With a narrow 220-212 majority, Republicans can afford no more than three defections to get a final bill passed.
Democrats are united in opposition to the bill, saying that its tax breaks disproportionately benefit the wealthy while cutting services that lower- and middle-income Americans rely on.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated that almost 12 million people could lose health insurance as a result of the bill.“This bill is catastrophic. It is not policy, it is punishment,” Democratic representative Jim McGovern said in debate on the House floor.
Speaker Mike Johnson is once again facing a test of his powers in the narrowly divided House, as he seeks to steer his fractious conference into swallowing a vote that many members oppose.
On Tuesday, Republican Senators passed Trump’s megabill by a tie-breaker, following intense negotiations and a marathon voting session on amendments.
US Vice President, JD Vance cast the decisive vote that allowed the bill to pass 51-50.
It came after three Republican Senators voted against it.
READ ALSO: Mahama Unveils Ambitious Plan to Irrigate 2 Million Hectares Under 24-Hour Economy
