House passes Trump agenda bill, handing president first major win of second term

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President Donald Trump on Thursday secured the first major legislative victory of his second term as House Republicans passed his sweeping domestic policy bill, clearing the way for his signature, according to a report. read more
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., left, speaks in the House chamber as House Democrats stand to applaud him, prior to the final vote for President Donald Trump's signature bill of tax breaks and spending cuts, at the Capitol, on Thursday. AP
President Donald Trump on Thursday secured the first major legislative victory of his second term as House Republicans passed his sweeping domestic policy bill, according to a CNN report.
The bill squeezed past a final vote 218-214, meaning it can be on Trump's desk to be signed into law on the July 4 Independence Day holiday.
The package — already approved by the Senate after a marathon session earlier this week — delivers tax cuts and boosts funding for the Pentagon and border security.
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To offset those costs, it also enacts deep and controversial spending cuts, marking the most significant reduction of the federal safety net in decades.
The bill underscored President Trump's firm grip on the Republican Party, despite internal unease over provisions that significantly expand the national debt and slash funding for health and welfare programmes.
A handful of GOP holdouts ultimately backed the legislation after House Speaker Mike Johnson spent the night rallying dissenters to support what Trump called the 'One Big Beautiful Bill.'
The legislative win is the latest in a series of successes for Trump, including a Supreme Court ruling last week that curbed lone judges from blocking his policies, and US air strikes that led to a ceasefire between Israel and Iran.
His sprawling mega-bill just passed the Senate on Tuesday and had to return to the lower chamber for a rubber stamp of the senators' revisions.
The package honors many of Trump's campaign promises: boosting military spending, funding a mass migrant deportation drive and committing $4.5 trillion to extend his first-term tax relief.
'Today we are laying a key cornerstone of America's new Golden Age,' AFP quoted Johnston as saying.
Meanwhile, Democrats hope public opposition to the bill will help them flip the House in the 2026 midterm election, pointing to data showing that it represents a huge redistribution of wealth from the poorest Americans to the richest.
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Jeffries held the floor for his Democrats ahead of the final vote, as he argued Americans would be harmed by Trump's legislation.
Jeffries broke the record for the longest floor speech as the House debated the bill.
According to an Associated Press report, Jeffries began speaking at 4:53 am EDT, delivering a wide-ranging address that included reading letters from Americans who depend on government programmes like Medicaid and SNAP.
He accused the bill of 'stealing' from vital social programmes to fund tax cuts for the wealthy, added the report.
'This bill, this one big, ugly bill – this reckless Republican budget, this disgusting abomination – is not about improving the quality of life of the American people,' he said.
With inputs from agencies