House passes sweeping Trump tax, spending plan

Republican "big beautiful bill" heads to Senate after overnight wrangling

House of Representatives vote May 22, 2025 on H.R. 1. (Screenshot of C-SPAN by Tom LoBianco/24sight News.)

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Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) scored a major win early Thursday morning, sending a sweeping legislative package to the Senate that targets key elements of former President Trump’s agenda.

The bill’s passage came amid uncertainty over whether Republicans could get the "one big, beautiful bill" across the finish line before their Memorial Day weekend deadline. Conservative hardliners had threatened to withhold their support late into Wednesday evening, raising doubts about its success.

“When the House Democrats vote in a few moments, this is what they'll be voting for. Their vote will show that they are apparently for the largest tax increase in the history of our country. They will be voting for when they vote against this bill, waste, fraud and abuse, they will be voting against safer communities,” Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said ahead of the vote.  

“American energy dominance and American strength on the world stage and today wouldn't be possible without the leadership of arguably the most powerful and the most successful and the most respected president in the modern era of United States.”

GOP leaders and the White House spent weeks attempting to unify the party’s factions, each of which had conflicting demands. In a last-minute breakthrough, top Republicans struck a deal with the conservative wing to include a provision requiring Medicaid work requirements by December 2026. They also satisfied lawmakers from high-tax blue states by raising the state and local tax (SALT) deduction cap to $40,000 for individuals earning under $500,000, with a 1% annual increase applied to both the cap and income threshold.

Proponents of the bill—which addresses border security, tax cuts, and energy reforms—argued it is critical to pass ahead of the summer legislative stretch. Former President Trump met with House Republicans on Wednesday morning and huddled with potential holdouts again Thursday to help secure support.

Just two Republicans voted against the legislation and one. A fiscal hawk, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) delivered a blistering critique of the bill on the House floor ahead of the vote.

"This bill is a debt bomb, ticking. Congress can do funny math—fantasy math—if it wants. But bond investors don’t. And this week, they sent us a message. Moody’s downgraded our credit outlook, and the investors who finance our debt demanded higher interest rates on the 10-year, 20-year, and 30-year notes,” Massie said. “What does this mean? Very soon, the government will be paying $16,000 in interest alone per U.S. family. If something is beautiful, you don’t do it after midnight.”

Democrats slammed the bill, accusing Republicans of pushing through a partisan measure without transparency or regard for working families.

"I rise today in strong opposition to this reckless, regressive, and reprehensible GOP tax scam," said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.). "This is one big ugly bill that House Republicans are trying to jam down the throats of the American people under the cover of darkness. This legislation will not make life better for the American people.”

“The GOP tax scam represents an assault on the economy, on health care, on nutritional assistance, on tax fairness, and on fiscal responsibility. There are more than 100 other reasons to vote against this one big ugly bill.”

At times, debate on the House floor grew heated. Rep. Steve Womack (R-Ark.), who was presiding over the session, asked members to direct their remarks to the chair rather than each other.

“You know what’s interesting? Every time I come on this floor, you choose to admonish me. I don’t work for you, sir. I work for the American people,” Jeffries responded.

The bill now heads to the Senate, where some provisions—including the SALT language—are expected to face revisions.

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