Trump shows his dominance over Congress in passing the 'big, beautiful bill'
Republican lawmakers were skeptical about that approach, but complied.
He insisted they pass it by the fourth of July. Republicans doubted they could meet the deadline, but they did.
And so late Friday afternoon, a triumphant president will sign the mega-bill he muscled through a divided Congress, displaying a mastery over his party that many of his predecessors would have envied.
Trump told reporters after the House narrowly passed the bill Thursday that he believes he has 'more power' now than in his first term. That was evident all week as the bill ping-ponged between the House and Senate. One by one, the holdouts in the GOP caucus swallowed their misgivings to give Trump a victory he is now savoring in his own fashion.
'There could be no better birthday present for America than the phenomenal victory we achieved just hours ago when Congress passed the 'one big, beautiful bill' to make America great again,' Trump said at a 'Salute to America' event Thursday night in Iowa.
The nearly-900 page bill includes a tax-cut and spending package that is projected to increase the national debt by $3.3 trillion over a decade. Not so long ago, fiscal conservatism was a core Republican tenet. Since Trump's takeover of the party, that bit of GOP orthodoxy has been set aside.
Speaking of conservative lawmakers who changed their minds and voted for the bill, Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., said simply: 'They heard from President Trump over and over again how much good was in this bill.'
One member of Congress said he asked a White House official what the holdouts got in return for supporting the bill, and said the response was, 'f---ing nothing.'
Another obstacle to passage was the world's richest man: Elon Musk. Once head of Trump's effort to shrink the government workforce, Musk left the White House and swiftly denounced the bill. On Monday, he said he would work to oust lawmakers who campaigned on reducing the debt and yet voted for the bill.
He wrote on his social media site, X, that ' they will lose their primary next year if it is the last thing I do on this Earth.'
The final vote suggested that GOP lawmakers may be more fearful of Trump's ire than Musk's money -- or the new party Musk vowed to start one day after the 'insane' bill passed.
Whether Trump and his party capitalize on the legislative achievement may hinge on what the 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act' does in the real world. It wouldn't have passed but for Trump. The bill's title is an ode to Trump's marketing instincts; he now owns it.
Will it unleash the economic growth that Trump predicts? Or will the steep cuts in the social safety net alienate some of the same blue-collar voters that Trump wrested from the Democratic coalition? The midterm elections next year will test whether Trump's gambit paid off.
Trump's demands throughout the saga did not always match reality. In a meeting Wednesday with moderate Republican lawmakers in the White House, Trump told them, 'Don't touch Medicaid.' Someone in the room responded that the bill does in fact touch Medicaid, a GOP lawmaker told NBC News. To pay for the tax breaks, the bill makes steep cuts to Medicaid, food aid programs and clean energy funding.
Whit Ayres, a GOP pollster, said that Republicans 'are going to have to build a powerful case for it.'
'They are going to have to figure out a way to explain, if indeed the Medicaid cuts throw people off of Medicaid, why this bill did that when Donald Trump said he wasn't going to touch Medicaid,' he continued.
A Republican senator, speaking on condition of anonymity before the bill passed, said: 'The Democrats are beating us on the messaging. It's just that simple. We don't have anyone out messaging [on the bill] because we're too busy fighting among ourselves. At some point, you've got to go sell this.'
Trump pulled off his most consequential legislative victory of either term through a mix of intimidation and wheedling. He has proven again and again that he can gin up a successful primary challenge to Republican lawmakers who defy his wishes. The latest example is Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C.
One day after Tillis angered Trump for opposing the bill, the senator announced he won't run for reelection.
But Trump, in tandem with Vice President JD Vance, also presided over a more traditional strategy for coaxing members to vote yes. Trump threw himself into the effort, aides and lawmakers said.
Aides cleared Trump's schedule of public events Wednesday so he could spend more time wooing lawmakers. At 1 a.m. on Thursday, he was on a phone call with a group of congressional holdouts, trying to persuade them to come around.
One person familiar with the phone call said that Trump and other White House officials pledged to aggressively implement key provisions in the bill including the phase-out of clean energy tax credits. The discussion also involved future actions to fulfill conservative priorities. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., remarked that it would be nice if Trump stopped attacking him. (Massie and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., were the only two Republicans to vote against the bill on Thursday).
Vance was pressed into service last weekend, as worries grew about the bill's prospects in the Senate.
The vice president, who had spent most of the week at his Cincinnati home with family, flew back from Ohio on Saturday to huddle with Republican senators.
After arriving at the Capitol, Vance focused on potential GOP holdouts, including Sens. Mike Crapo of Idaho, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Mike Lee of Utah, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming and Rick Scott of Florida, according to two people familiar with his involvement,
Vance returned to the Capitol early Tuesday morning ahead of the final vote, with Republican senators creating something of a revolving door between the Senate floor and the vice president's ceremonial office nearby.
Vance also remained in talks with House members through Thursday's vote.
'GOP Congressman just texted me,' the vice president posted Thursday morning on X as House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York was speaking against the bill. ''I was undecided on the bill but then I watched Hakeem Jeffries performance and now I'm a firm yes.''
In passing a bill that encapsulates much of his domestic agenda, Trump succeeded where some other Republican presidents failed. George W. Bush won reelection in 2004 and, armed with what he called newfound 'political capital,' tried mightily to get Congress to overhaul the Social Security system. The effort collapsed.
Trump will have at least a brief period to relish the achievement before the bill takes effect and voters see for themselves if there's a gap between what he promised and what he delivers. He'll do it in style from the White House, watching a fireworks display in the evening and a flyover of the military's most sophisticated aircraft.
'The golden age is here!!!' senior White House adviser Stephen Miller posted on X, referring back to Trump's inaugural speech.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
11 minutes ago
- The Independent
Starmer must take a strong line with Trump to relieve the suffering in Gaza
The phrase 'walking a diplomatic tightrope' is overused by the media, but it is an accurate description of Sir Keir Starmer's task when he meets Donald Trump on Monday for talks at the US president's Turnberry golf course in Scotland. According to Downing Street sources, the prime minister will discuss what more can be done to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, to 'bring an end to the unspeakable suffering and starvation in Gaza', and to hasten the release of the remaining Israeli hostages. Sir Keir is under growing pressure from Labour backbenchers, and several members of his cabinet, to go further by joining France's Emmanuel Macron in formally recognising Palestinian statehood. But if the prime minister did so, it would weaken his hand with Mr Trump, the only foreign leader with meaningful influence over Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister. So Gaza poses a big test for Sir Keir's quietly effective strategy of not challenging or criticising the US president in public. We have to take it on trust that he will argue strongly behind closed doors for the US to restart the peace talks it led in Qatar before it pulled out, blaming Hamas for the lack of progress. Indeed, President Trump should revive plans for a 60-day ceasefire, the release of some hostages, and – crucially – an increase in aid supplies, which are desperately needed to prevent more deaths from starvation. Such an approach by Sir Keir will not be enough for the 221 MPs, including a third of Labour backbenchers, who have signed a letter calling for the immediate recognition of Palestine. Or, indeed, for much of the British public. It is not surprising, given the harrowing pictures of emaciated children in TV news bulletins, that opinion in the UK is turning against Israel, which rightly enjoyed the goodwill of many after the horrific 7 October attacks. According to More in Common, 29 per cent of people now sympathise more with the Palestinians – up by 11 percentage points since November 2023 – while 27 per cent sympathise with neither side, 16 per cent with both sides equally, and 15 per cent with Israel. Some 48 per cent believe Israel's response to the conflict has been disproportionate, and only 28 per cent think it proportionate. Amid mounting outrage, Israel has announced a limited 'tactical pause' in its military operation in three areas of Gaza to allow in more humanitarian relief. The easing of restrictions is welcome, if long overdue, but it must be more than a cynical temporary move. It is no substitute for a ceasefire leading to negotiations on a long-term peace settlement. Nor will the airdrops planned by the UK and Jordan be more than a sticking plaster; they are ineffective compared with relief delivered by lorries, and sometimes even dangerous. Sir Keir's reluctance to recognise Palestine may prove to have been a holding line. If countries such as Germany, Canada and Australia change their minds and back France, he may shift. The SNP plans to force a vote on the issue when the Commons returns from its summer recess in September, which would expose Labour divisions. That month, the Labour conference will be problematic for its leader if he doesn't change tack, while the UN general assembly will discuss France's move. Yet for now, The Independent believes the prime minister is right to maximise his influence with President Trump, and to keep the recognition of Palestine as a card to play in talks on a permanent peace that must include a two-state solution to the Israel-Hamas conflict. Recognising Palestine now would not in itself change the terrible conditions on the ground in Gaza, as Bob Geldof, the Live Aid organiser, told Sky News on Sunday. He said it should have been done 'ages ago', but that the demands of Labour MPs amount to a distraction that 'is not going to make any material difference'. Sir Keir's quiet diplomacy is a better response to the crisis in Gaza than the tone-deafness of Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader. Interviewed on Sky, she backed calls for a ceasefire but said: 'What I see when I see Israel is a country that's trying to defend itself.' She declared that the pictures of starving children had not affected her support for Israel, insisting that it is allowing in relief supplies – a view that is hotly disputed by the United Nations and aid agencies. So far, Sir Keir has confounded critics who warned that he would not be able to have it both ways and maintain good relations with the US and the EU. He has secured trade deals with both. The emergency in Gaza now poses a big test for the prime minister's strong record on foreign affairs in the past year, which regrettably has not been matched on the domestic front. Sir Keir's understandable desire to hug Mr Trump close should not lead him to pull his punches over the gruesome tragedy unfolding in Gaza.
The Independent
11 minutes ago
- The Independent
Trump, who has promoted countless conspiracy theories, whines Democrats are wasting time on conspiracy theories
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Your support makes all the difference.
Reuters
11 minutes ago
- Reuters
Trump, EU's von der Leyen meet to clinch trade deal, rating chances 50-50
TURNBERRY, Scotland, July 27 (Reuters) - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday to clinch a trade deal that would likely result in a 15% tariff on most EU goods, but end months of uncertainty for European Union companies. U.S. and EU negotiators huddled in final talks on tariffs facing crucial sectors like cars, steel, aluminium and pharmaceuticals before the meeting began at Trump's golf course in Turnberry, western Scotland. Trump, who had earlier played a round with his son, told reporters as he met von der Leyen that he wanted to correct a trading arrangement he said was "very unfair to the United States" and repeated his comments from Friday that the chances of a U.S-EU deal were 50-50, a view echoed by von der Leyen. "We have three or four sticking points I'd rather not get into. The main sticking point is fairness," he said insisting the EU had to open up to American products. Von der Leyen acknowledged there was a need for "rebalancing" EU-U.S. trade. "We have a surplus, the United States has a deficit and we have to rebalance it... we will make it more sustainable," she said. U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who flew to Scotland on Saturday, told "Fox News Sunday" that the EU needed to open its markets for more U.S. exports to convince Trump to reduce a threatened 30% tariff rate that is due to kick in on August 1. "The question is, do they offer President Trump a good enough deal that is worth it for him to step off of the 30% tariffs that he set," Lutnick said, adding that the EU clearly wanted - and needed - to reach an agreement. A separate U.S. administration official was upbeat that a deal was possible. "We're cautiously optimistic that there will be a deal reached," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "But it's not over till it's over." The EU deal would be a huge prize, given that the U.S. and EU are each other's largest trading partners by far and account for a third of global trade in goods and services. Ambassadors of EU governments, on a weekend trip to Greenland organised by the Danish presidency of the EU, held a teleconference with EU Commission officials on Sunday to agree on the amount of leeway von der Leyen would have. In case there is no deal and the U.S. imposes 30% tariffs from August 1, the EU has prepared counter-tariffs on 93 billion euros ($109 billion) of U.S. goods. EU diplomats have said a deal would likely include a broad 15% tariff on EU goods imported into the U.S., mirroring the U.S.-Japan trade deal, along with a 50% tariff on European steel and aluminium for which there could be export quotas. EU officials are hopeful that a 15% baseline tariff would also apply to cars, replacing the current 27.5% auto tariff. Some expect the 27-nation bloc may be able to secure exemptions from the 15% baseline tariff for its aerospace industry and for spirits, though probably not for wine. The EU could also pledge to buy more liquefied natural gas from the U.S., a long-standing offer, and boost investment in the United States. Trump told reporters there was "not a lot" of wiggle room on the 50% tariffs that the U.S. has on steel and aluminium imports, adding, "because if I do it for one, I have to do it for all." The U.S. president, in Scotland for a few days of golfing and bilateral meetings, said a deal with the EU should draw to a close discussions on tariffs, but also said pharmaceuticals, for which the United States is looking into new tariffs, would not be part of a deal. The EU now faces U.S. tariffs on more than 70% of its exports, with 50% on steel and aluminium, an extra 25% on cars and car parts on top of the existing 2.5% and a 10% levy on most other EU goods. EU officials have said a "no-deal" tariff rate of 30% would wipe out whole chunks of transatlantic commerce. A 15% tariff on most EU goods would remove uncertainty but would be seen by many in Europe as a poor outcome compared to the initial European ambition of a zero-for-zero tariff deal on all industrial goods. Seeking to learn from Japan, which secured a 15% baseline tariff with the U.S. in a deal almost a week ago, EU negotiators spoke to their Japanese counterparts in preparation for Sunday's meeting. For Trump, aiming to reorder the global economy and reduce decades-old U.S. trade deficits, a deal with the EU would be the biggest trade agreement, surpassing the $550 billion deal with Japan. So far, he has reeled in agreements with Britain, Japan, Indonesia and Vietnam, although his administration has failed to deliver on a promise of "90 deals in 90 days."
