Latest news with #VirginiaFoxx
The Independent
11 hours ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Inside the Republican revolt in the House over the Epstein files that led to the early summer recess for Congress
House Republicans revolted against GOP leadership over the Trump administration's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files in the days before Speaker Mike Johnson ushered in the chamber's early summer recess to avoid dealing with the crisis, according to a report. As controversy over the administration's refusal to release all government files related to the sex offender continues, Johnson faced a 'growing crisis' of his own among key GOP allies as leadership refused to bring any action on Epstein to the House floor, Politico reports. Behind the scenes, GOP leaders faced a 'standoff' with rank-and-file members who were 'incensed' when they were forced to vote against a Democratic-led effort to release the Epstein files a week before, according to the outlet. Some lawmakers reportedly 'begged' for action on Epstein in closed-door meetings as they warned Republican leadership that the problem wasn't going away. The new reported details illustrate the chaos of what was happening behind the scenes as President Donald Trump continues to be plagued by the case of the convicted pedophile. GOP Rep. Virginia Foxx of Virginia, chair of the House Rules Committee that serves as a final gatekeeper to legislation where a simple majority vote is required, threatened to bring activity on the House floor to a halt unless a better solution to the Epstein issue was put forward, two people with knowledge of the conversation told Politico. The rebellion prompted Trump to meet with GOP members of the House Rules Committee in the Oval Office Tuesday, according to the outlet. Johnson moved to shut down the committee, which meant that the House will not be able to tee up votes to pass many of the spending bills that Congress hoped to pass before the August recess, when members break to go back to their districts. But Johnson likely faces further rebellion in September. 'I think the administration will put more stuff out in August … if they don't, then I promise you, there's going to be some more looking at this in the first week of September,' warned Rep. Chip Roy of Texas. Republican lawmakers have expressed anger over the Epstein fallout, and said they are under intense pressure from constituents on the issue. The rebellion of House Republicans who favored releasing more documents in the Epstein case came as a 'surprise' to White House officials, according to Politico. One anonymous GOP member told CNN that members wanted a chance to vote on the issue. 'To be accused of trying to cover up for a pedophile, it's detestable,' they told the network. Word had got out that Democrats were planning to force an Epstein-related vote Monday. At a meeting with GOP Rules Committee members that evening, Johnson reportedly presented three options on how to proceed. Ultimately, leadership opted to halt the action of the House Rules Committee. 'The rule was going down anyway,' a source with knowledge of the meeting told Politico. 'So the choice was clear.' Johnson defended effectively shutting down the House while speaking with reporters Wednesday. 'No one in Congress is blocking Epstein documents,' he said. The rebellion follows recent revelations that the Department of Justice told Trump that his name appears multiple times in the Epstein files, according to multiple senior administration sources. The sources told The Wall Street Journal that Attorney General Pam Bondi and her deputy, Todd Blanche, informed the president during a May meeting at the White House that the president's name emerged after they sifted through a 'truckload' of documents related to Epstein. Following the Journal's report, sources familiar with the exchange confirmed the account to both The New York Times and CNN. Appearing in the files does not indicate that an individual has committed any wrongdoing, nor has Trump ever been accused of misconduct in connection with the Epstein case. 'This is another fake news story, just like the previous story by The Wall Street Journal,' White House communications director Steven Cheung said about the claims Trump was named.
The Hill
16-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Virginia Foxx not done making waves as the ‘Iron Lady' of the House GOP
From elevator-bound staffers to the top leaders in the House, no one is underestimating 82-year-old Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.). After Foxx chaired a nearly 22-hour House Rules Committee hearing ahead of House passage of Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill' in May, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) called her the 'Iron Lady of the House.' House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) called Foxx a 'tough cookie' and a 'straight shooter' in a press conference a few weeks later. Now in her 11th term in Congress, Foxx is undeniably one of the most iconic figures in the House Republican Conference — a stature achieved not by making waves through social media or bombastic stances, but through being a workhorse and a team player. 'I am really, really focused on not wasting time,' Foxx said in an interview with The Hill in June. 'If you see me when I'm waiting for the train, you'll see I go to the end of the platform so that I am on the first car, so when I get out, I'm as close as I can be to where I'm going.' But while she is known for her toughness, Foxx also has a soft side — tearing up when talking about the American Revolution's 'barefoot soldiers who were willing to risk their lives for freedom.' She's poured her energy through her decades-long career into helping people through education, just as it helped her rise up from poverty. Fox in this Congress is the only Republican woman chairing a committee in the House, selected by the Speaker to lead the powerful Rules panel after she led Republicans on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce for four terms. Foxx, though, doesn't see that statistic as evidence of bias against women in the GOP. 'I think a lot of the press tries to make it look like women are not respected in the Republican Party, but it's really a matter of tenure,' she said, adding: 'The fact that I'm the only woman just means that we haven't had women stay as long as men stay or start earlier to be able to gain the seniority to become a chair. So it's just a matter of timing, more than anything.' Foxx's personal life story centers on the transformative power of education. Born in New York City (Manhattan, to be exact — 'Wikipedia has it wrong'), Foxx moved to North Carolina when she was six years old, living in houses without electricity or running water. She had no plans to go to college until a teacher her senior year encouraged her to do so. She attended Lees-McRae College in North Carolina for a semester; then went to live with her grandparents in the Bronx while she worked as a typist near Wall Street and saved her money; and then went back to enroll at Appalachian State University. Foxx transferred and graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and went on to earn an education doctorate from UNC-Greensboro. But Foxx stresses that benefiting from education is not about collecting college degrees, but about skill development. She recalled her younger brother worrying that his family would be ashamed of him for not wanting to go to college. Foxx helped set up a carpentry apprenticeship program for him to enter, and he eventually got a license. 'We've set a standard for many people that says if you don't have a college degree, you're no good. And that bothers me a lot,' Foxx said. Foxx is as much of a team player on the political side of the House GOP as she is within the official side. One of the booths in the National Republican Congressional Committee from which members make fundraising calls has Foxx's name on it, sources have told The Hill over the years. Those workhorse sensibilities have long been apparent: A profile of Foxx in The Hill 20 years ago described Foxx's personality as 'half-grandmother, half-drill sergeant.' Around the Capitol campus, Foxx is widely known for her reputation for scolding staff and others for hopping on a members-only elevator, or telling staff and reporters to get out of the way. 'I am a rule follower. Ninety-five percent of the time, I'm in a hurry, and most members are,' Foxx said. 'And so there's a members' elevator for a reason, and it really is for time management more than anything else.' Her elevator reputation is so strong that other members have thanked her for the installation of new members-only elevators updates in House office buildings over the last year — but Foxx said the credit for those new key-card activated elevators to House Administration Committee Chair Bryan Steil (R-Wis.), insisting she did not ask for the additions. It's not just elevators. Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.), one of Foxx's friends in Congress, recalled one of his first impressions of her while waiting on a bus to go to an event. 'This white-haired lady stood up and told the bus driver, 'close the door and go,'' Westerman said. 'And the bus driver closed the door and left. And my wife and I were there, and my wife said, 'You better watch out for her.'' 'There's only one Virginia Foxx,' he added. 'I think a lot of people see sometimes a rough exterior, but she's got a huge heart inside.' Foxx also made waves when she scolded a reporter in a press conference after Republicans nominated Johnson to be Speaker after a three-month saga following former Speaker Kevin McCarthy's (R-Calif.) removal in 2023. One of the first questions to Johnson concerned his efforts supporting Trump's 'Stop the Steal' effort after the 2020 election. Republicans booed — and Foxx, standing prominently next to Johnson, shouted back: 'Shut up! Shut up!' Foxx told The Hill she thought the questions should have centered on how the new Speaker nominee felt. 'We were in such a wonderful mood. We'd gone through a lot to get speaker Johnson elected, and the mood in the room was so happy, so happy. And for somebody to bring up something totally opposite of where we were at the moment was very frustrating,' Foxx said. 'The woman was clueless about the tone at the time.' Foxx, who just celebrated her 82nd birthday, is the 15th oldest lawmaker in all of Congress — and the 10th oldest representative. Age has become a major political liability in recent years, particularly with former President Biden being forced to drop out of the 2024 race due to concerns about his mental acuity and a number of other aging lawmakers being scrutinized more regularly. Foxx is 'quite aware' of the scrutiny placed on older members, but sees herself as being at the peak of her career and has no plans to step back. In May, she announced she is seeking reelection in 2026. 'I get letters from people saying you need to quit,' Foxx said. 'My response to that is the Speaker appointed me Chair of the Rules Committee. That's sort of the peak of a career around here. And so I feel like I'm really in a good place. I don't think anybody will say I have any cognitive decline.' 'I'm physically in good shape. I had a fall in January, but that was because of a slick step,' Foxx said, referring to slipping on the marble steps outside the House chamber. 'I don't have any problems with getting around and I feel great. I work out every day, I stretch and I do those kinds of things to keep in good shape.' 'I don't see a reason to quit, as long as I can be the kind of representative my constituents deserve and want,' Foxx said. Last year, Foxx went through the same personal hardships as many of her constituents when Hurricane Helene hit North Carolina — trapping her husband in their mountain home. Foxx told her husband she planned to stay the night in Winston-Salem due to the coming hurricane and meetings in the area the next day, but he didn't expect the storm to be that bad. But Foxx, not wanting to take chances, filled up jugs of water for him – preparedness that paid off after flooding washed away some driveway to her house, trapping him for several days. 'I'm glad in many ways that it happened to us, because we were experiencing the same things that my constituents were experiencing. So when people would call me, I knew exactly what they were dealing with,' Foxx said.
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Lawrence O'Donnell Gleefully Mocks House Republicans Over Big, Beautiful Bill Vote: ‘It Has a Mistake In It'
Lawrence O'Donnell mocked House Republicans for putting forward President Donald Trump's Big, Beautiful Bill vote with a mistake in it, an error that shot themselves in the foot. 'It has a mistake in it,' O'Donnell said on Wednesday night's episode of 'The Last Word.' 'They all know that the real leading expert on House rules is Democrat Jim McGovern, the Democratic leader of the House Rules Committee. They know that the Republican chair of the House Rules Committee, Virginia Foxx, is completely and permanently incompetent—always has been, always will be—along with her staff.' More from TheWrap CBS' John Dickerson Says Trump Settlement Jeopardizes Network Holding 'Power to Account After Paying It Millions' | Video Michael Madsen, Quentin Tarantino Mainstay Known for 'Kill Bill' and 'Reservoir Dogs,' Dies at 67 Where to Watch '40 Acres': Is the Post-Apocalyptic Thriller Streaming? UK Government Rejects Proposal for 5% Levy on Streamers' Local Revenue The MSNBC host went on to explain the difference between how legislation is voted on between the Senate and the House. For example in the Senate, rules do not change but in the House, the Rules Committee—controlled by the party in power—writes the rule for every bill. It is standard for the rule to say that no amendments will be allowed once the bill reaches the floor. 'The incompetent Republicans did such a bad job of writing that very simple, one-paragraph rule that Jim McGovern was able to stop everything in the House of Representatives today by announcing: 'It has a mistake in it,'' O'Donnell said in disbelief. 'We've never seen anything like that in the House—not something that stupid,' he continued. 'For the next 11 hours, the Republican-controlled House was paralyzed by that mistake. Usually in the House, no one in the Republican Party listens to anything said by Democrats on the floor. But this time, everyone heard what Congressman Jim McGovern said when he started a drama like we've never seen before.' The host explained in layman's terms that Republicans pushed forward the bill and didn't include an out for themselves. So if they began debating, and the GOP realized they didn't have the votes, they would still have to take the vote. O'Donnell chastised Speaker Mike Johnson for not knowing anything about governmental procedure and that it quickly became clear they didn't have the votes. 'Panic set in among House Republicans and within the Trump White House,' O'Donnell said. 'While Republicans may now try to fix the error with an amendment, McGovern posed a critical question: 'If this Republican leadership cannot get a one-paragraph rule right, can we really trust them to get an 870-page bill right?'' The mistake allowed Democrats to go to the mic and request amendments to cuts to SNAP and Medicaid, a main pushback on the bill from both sides of the aisle. Despite the Democrats' attempts, Republicans blocked every single amendment request on the House floor. O'Donnell also took a moment to blast some of the GOP members who have capitulated to Trump's demands including Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin who said, 'we're not a bunch of little bitches' for giving up all his prior objections to the bill. 'OK. No one said you were,' O'Donnell said as he called Van Orden's defense 'breathtakingly pathetic.' 'I mean, we've said negative things about what you're voting for and what you're willing to do, and many of us have said negative things about the cruelty that you're willing to inflict on people here and around the world. But 'little bitches' is your term, Congressman Derrick Van Orden—not mine.' You can watch the full 'The Last Word' segment in the video above. The post Lawrence O'Donnell Gleefully Mocks House Republicans Over Big, Beautiful Bill Vote: 'It Has a Mistake In It' | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
SBS Australia
03-07-2025
- Business
- SBS Australia
Donald Trump claims win as his 'big, beautiful bill' narrowly passes US Congress
Donald Trump's mega-bill passes 218–214, pushing A$6.8 trillion in tax cuts and immigration crackdowns. Democrats warn 17 million could lose healthcare as Medicaid and food aid face deep cuts. It also cuts health and food safety net programs and zeroes out dozens of green energy incentives. United States President Donald Trump has secured a victory after his signature tax and spending bill cleared its final hurdle in the US Congress, as the Republican-controlled House of Representatives narrowly approved the massive bill and sent it to him to sign into law. The bill, which passed with a vote of 218 to 214, will fund the Republican president's immigration crackdown, make his 2017 tax cuts permanent and deliver new tax breaks that he promised during his 2024 campaign. It also cuts health and food safety net programs and zeroes out dozens of green energy incentives. It would add $US3.4 trillion ($5.2 trillion) to the nation's $US36.2 trillion ($55.1 trillion) debt, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO). Despite concerns over the 869-page bill's price tag and its hit to healthcare programs, Republicans largely lined up in support, with only two of the House's 220 Republicans voting against it. The bill has already cleared the Republican-controlled Senate by the narrowest possible margin. Republicans said the legislation will lower taxes for Americans across the income spectrum and spur economic growth. Republican representative Virginia Foxx of North Carolina described the bill as bringing: "Historic tax relief for working families. Massive investment to secure our nation's borders. Capturing generational savings. Slashing waste, fraud and abuse in government programs so that they may run more efficiently." Every Democrat in Congress voted against it, criticising the bill as a giveaway to the wealthy that would leave millions uninsured. "The focus of this bill, the justification for all of the cuts that will hurt everyday Americans, is to provide massive tax breaks for billionaires," House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said in an eight-hour, 46-minute speech that was the longest in the chamber's history. Trump kept up the pressure throughout, cajoling and threatening Congress as he pressed them to send him the legislation by the July 4 Independence Day holiday. "FOR REPUBLICANS, THIS SHOULD BE AN EASY YES VOTE. RIDICULOUS!!!" he wrote on social media. A small group of opponents in the party finally fell into line after speaker Mike Johnson worked through the night to corral dissenters in the House of Representatives Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and House Republicans give a thumbs up during the enrolment ceremony of President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act after the bill passed in the US Capitol on 3 July 2025. Source: Getty / Bill Clark Republicans raced to meet that deadline, working through last weekend and holding all-night debates in the House and the Senate. The bill passed the Senate on Tuesday in a 51-50 decision, with vice president JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote. What's in Trump's 'big, beautiful bill'? According to the CBO, the bill would lower tax revenues by $US4.5 trillion ($6.9 trillion) over 10 years and cut spending by $US1.1 trillion ($1.7 trillion). Those spending cuts largely come from Medicaid, the health program that covers 71 million low-income Americans. Some estimates put the total number of recipients set to lose their insurance coverage under the bill at 17 million. Scores of rural hospitals are expected to close. The bill would tighten enrolment standards, institute a work requirement and clamp down on a funding mechanism used by states to boost federal payments — changes that would leave nearly 12 million people uninsured, according to the CBO. Republicans added $US50 billion ($76 billion) for rural health providers to address concerns that those cutbacks would force them out of business. Nonpartisan analysts have found that the wealthiest Americans would see the biggest benefits from the bill, while lower-income people would effectively see their incomes drop as the safety-net cuts would outweigh their tax cuts. The increased debt load created by the bill would also effectively transfer money from younger to older generations, analysts say. Ratings firm Moody's downgraded US debt in May, citing the mounting debt, and some foreign investors say the bill is making US Treasury bonds less attractive. On the other side of the ledger, the bill staves off tax increases that were due to hit most Americans at the end of this year, when Trump's 2017 individual and business tax cuts were due to expire. Those cuts are now made permanent, while tax breaks for parents and businesses are expanded. The bill also sets up new tax breaks for tipped income, overtime pay, seniors and auto loans, fulfilling Trump campaign promises. The final version of the bill includes more substantial tax cuts and more aggressive healthcare cuts than the initial version that passed the House in May. During deliberations in the Senate, Republicans also dropped a provision that would have banned state-level regulations on artificial intelligence, and a "retaliatory tax" on foreign investment that had spurred alarm on Wall Street. The legislation is the latest in a series of big wins for Trump, including a Supreme Court ruling last week that curbed lone federal judges from blocking his policies, and US air strikes that led to a ceasefire between Israel and Iran.
The Advertiser
03-07-2025
- Business
- The Advertiser
Congress approves Trump sweeping tax-cut, spending bill
President Donald Trump's tax-cut package has cleared its final hurdle in the US Congress, as the Republican-controlled House of Representatives narrowly approved the massive bill and sent it to him to sign into law. The 218-214 vote amounts to a significant victory for the Republican president that will fund his immigration crackdown, make his 2017 tax cuts permanent and deliver new tax breaks that he promised during his 2024 campaign. It also cuts health and food safety net programs and zeroes out dozens of green energy incentives. It would add $US3.4 trillion ($A5.2 trillion) to the nation's $US36.2 trillion ($A55.1 trillion) debt, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. Despite concerns over the 869-page bill's price tag and its hit to healthcare programs, Republicans largely lined up in support, with only two of the House's 220 Republicans voting against it. The bill has already cleared the Republican-controlled Senate by the narrowest possible margin. Republicans said the legislation will lower taxes for Americans across the income spectrum and spur economic growth. Republican Representative Virginia Foxx of North Carolina described the bill as bringing: "Historic tax relief for working families. Massive investment to secure our nation's borders. Capturing generational savings. Slashing waste, fraud and abuse in government programs so that they may run more efficiently." Every Democrat in Congress voted against it, blasting the bill as a giveaway to the wealthy that would leave millions uninsured. "The focus of this bill, the justification for all of the cuts that will hurt everyday Americans, is to provide massive tax breaks for billionaires," House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in an eight-hour, 46-minute speech that was the longest in the chamber's history. Trump kept up the pressure throughout, cajoling and threatening Congress as he pressed them to send him the legislation by the July 4 Independence Day holiday. "FOR REPUBLICANS, THIS SHOULD BE AN EASY YES VOTE. RIDICULOUS!!!" he wrote on social media. Republicans raced to meet that deadline, working through last weekend and holding all-night debates in the House and the Senate. The bill passed the Senate on Tuesday in 51-50 vote in that saw Vice President JD Vance cast the tie-breaking vote. According to the CBO, the bill would lower tax revenues by $US4.5 trillion ($A6.9 trillion) over 10 years and cut spending by $US1.1 trillion ($A1.7 trillion). Those spending cuts largely come from Medicaid, the health program that covers 71 million low-income Americans. The bill would tighten enrolment standards, institute a work requirement and clamp down on a funding mechanism used by states to boost federal payments - changes that would leave nearly 12 million people uninsured, according to the CBO. Republicans added $US50 billion ($A76 billion) for rural health providers to address concerns that those cutbacks would force them out of business. Nonpartisan analysts have found that the wealthiest Americans would see the biggest benefits from the bill, while lower-income people would effectively see their incomes drop as the safety-net cuts would outweigh their tax cuts. The increased debt load created by the bill would also effectively transfer money from younger to older generations, analysts say. Ratings firm Moody's downgraded US debt in May, citing the mounting debt, and some foreign investors say the bill is making US Treasury bonds less attractive. On the other side of the ledger, the bill staves off tax increases that were due to hit most Americans at the end of this year, when Trump's 2017 individual and business tax cuts were due to expire. Those cuts are now made permanent, while tax breaks for parents and businesses are expanded. The bill also sets up new tax breaks for tipped income, overtime pay, seniors and auto loans, fulfilling Trump campaign promises. The final version of the bill includes more substantial tax cuts and more aggressive healthcare cuts than an initial version that passed the House in May. During deliberations in the Senate, Republicans also dropped a provision that would have banned state-level regulations on artificial intelligence, and a "retaliatory tax" on foreign investment that had spurred alarm on Wall Street. President Donald Trump's tax-cut package has cleared its final hurdle in the US Congress, as the Republican-controlled House of Representatives narrowly approved the massive bill and sent it to him to sign into law. The 218-214 vote amounts to a significant victory for the Republican president that will fund his immigration crackdown, make his 2017 tax cuts permanent and deliver new tax breaks that he promised during his 2024 campaign. It also cuts health and food safety net programs and zeroes out dozens of green energy incentives. It would add $US3.4 trillion ($A5.2 trillion) to the nation's $US36.2 trillion ($A55.1 trillion) debt, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. Despite concerns over the 869-page bill's price tag and its hit to healthcare programs, Republicans largely lined up in support, with only two of the House's 220 Republicans voting against it. The bill has already cleared the Republican-controlled Senate by the narrowest possible margin. Republicans said the legislation will lower taxes for Americans across the income spectrum and spur economic growth. Republican Representative Virginia Foxx of North Carolina described the bill as bringing: "Historic tax relief for working families. Massive investment to secure our nation's borders. Capturing generational savings. Slashing waste, fraud and abuse in government programs so that they may run more efficiently." Every Democrat in Congress voted against it, blasting the bill as a giveaway to the wealthy that would leave millions uninsured. "The focus of this bill, the justification for all of the cuts that will hurt everyday Americans, is to provide massive tax breaks for billionaires," House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in an eight-hour, 46-minute speech that was the longest in the chamber's history. Trump kept up the pressure throughout, cajoling and threatening Congress as he pressed them to send him the legislation by the July 4 Independence Day holiday. "FOR REPUBLICANS, THIS SHOULD BE AN EASY YES VOTE. RIDICULOUS!!!" he wrote on social media. Republicans raced to meet that deadline, working through last weekend and holding all-night debates in the House and the Senate. The bill passed the Senate on Tuesday in 51-50 vote in that saw Vice President JD Vance cast the tie-breaking vote. According to the CBO, the bill would lower tax revenues by $US4.5 trillion ($A6.9 trillion) over 10 years and cut spending by $US1.1 trillion ($A1.7 trillion). Those spending cuts largely come from Medicaid, the health program that covers 71 million low-income Americans. The bill would tighten enrolment standards, institute a work requirement and clamp down on a funding mechanism used by states to boost federal payments - changes that would leave nearly 12 million people uninsured, according to the CBO. Republicans added $US50 billion ($A76 billion) for rural health providers to address concerns that those cutbacks would force them out of business. Nonpartisan analysts have found that the wealthiest Americans would see the biggest benefits from the bill, while lower-income people would effectively see their incomes drop as the safety-net cuts would outweigh their tax cuts. The increased debt load created by the bill would also effectively transfer money from younger to older generations, analysts say. Ratings firm Moody's downgraded US debt in May, citing the mounting debt, and some foreign investors say the bill is making US Treasury bonds less attractive. On the other side of the ledger, the bill staves off tax increases that were due to hit most Americans at the end of this year, when Trump's 2017 individual and business tax cuts were due to expire. Those cuts are now made permanent, while tax breaks for parents and businesses are expanded. The bill also sets up new tax breaks for tipped income, overtime pay, seniors and auto loans, fulfilling Trump campaign promises. The final version of the bill includes more substantial tax cuts and more aggressive healthcare cuts than an initial version that passed the House in May. During deliberations in the Senate, Republicans also dropped a provision that would have banned state-level regulations on artificial intelligence, and a "retaliatory tax" on foreign investment that had spurred alarm on Wall Street. President Donald Trump's tax-cut package has cleared its final hurdle in the US Congress, as the Republican-controlled House of Representatives narrowly approved the massive bill and sent it to him to sign into law. The 218-214 vote amounts to a significant victory for the Republican president that will fund his immigration crackdown, make his 2017 tax cuts permanent and deliver new tax breaks that he promised during his 2024 campaign. It also cuts health and food safety net programs and zeroes out dozens of green energy incentives. It would add $US3.4 trillion ($A5.2 trillion) to the nation's $US36.2 trillion ($A55.1 trillion) debt, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. Despite concerns over the 869-page bill's price tag and its hit to healthcare programs, Republicans largely lined up in support, with only two of the House's 220 Republicans voting against it. The bill has already cleared the Republican-controlled Senate by the narrowest possible margin. Republicans said the legislation will lower taxes for Americans across the income spectrum and spur economic growth. Republican Representative Virginia Foxx of North Carolina described the bill as bringing: "Historic tax relief for working families. Massive investment to secure our nation's borders. Capturing generational savings. Slashing waste, fraud and abuse in government programs so that they may run more efficiently." Every Democrat in Congress voted against it, blasting the bill as a giveaway to the wealthy that would leave millions uninsured. "The focus of this bill, the justification for all of the cuts that will hurt everyday Americans, is to provide massive tax breaks for billionaires," House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in an eight-hour, 46-minute speech that was the longest in the chamber's history. Trump kept up the pressure throughout, cajoling and threatening Congress as he pressed them to send him the legislation by the July 4 Independence Day holiday. "FOR REPUBLICANS, THIS SHOULD BE AN EASY YES VOTE. RIDICULOUS!!!" he wrote on social media. Republicans raced to meet that deadline, working through last weekend and holding all-night debates in the House and the Senate. The bill passed the Senate on Tuesday in 51-50 vote in that saw Vice President JD Vance cast the tie-breaking vote. According to the CBO, the bill would lower tax revenues by $US4.5 trillion ($A6.9 trillion) over 10 years and cut spending by $US1.1 trillion ($A1.7 trillion). Those spending cuts largely come from Medicaid, the health program that covers 71 million low-income Americans. The bill would tighten enrolment standards, institute a work requirement and clamp down on a funding mechanism used by states to boost federal payments - changes that would leave nearly 12 million people uninsured, according to the CBO. Republicans added $US50 billion ($A76 billion) for rural health providers to address concerns that those cutbacks would force them out of business. Nonpartisan analysts have found that the wealthiest Americans would see the biggest benefits from the bill, while lower-income people would effectively see their incomes drop as the safety-net cuts would outweigh their tax cuts. The increased debt load created by the bill would also effectively transfer money from younger to older generations, analysts say. Ratings firm Moody's downgraded US debt in May, citing the mounting debt, and some foreign investors say the bill is making US Treasury bonds less attractive. On the other side of the ledger, the bill staves off tax increases that were due to hit most Americans at the end of this year, when Trump's 2017 individual and business tax cuts were due to expire. Those cuts are now made permanent, while tax breaks for parents and businesses are expanded. The bill also sets up new tax breaks for tipped income, overtime pay, seniors and auto loans, fulfilling Trump campaign promises. The final version of the bill includes more substantial tax cuts and more aggressive healthcare cuts than an initial version that passed the House in May. During deliberations in the Senate, Republicans also dropped a provision that would have banned state-level regulations on artificial intelligence, and a "retaliatory tax" on foreign investment that had spurred alarm on Wall Street. President Donald Trump's tax-cut package has cleared its final hurdle in the US Congress, as the Republican-controlled House of Representatives narrowly approved the massive bill and sent it to him to sign into law. The 218-214 vote amounts to a significant victory for the Republican president that will fund his immigration crackdown, make his 2017 tax cuts permanent and deliver new tax breaks that he promised during his 2024 campaign. It also cuts health and food safety net programs and zeroes out dozens of green energy incentives. It would add $US3.4 trillion ($A5.2 trillion) to the nation's $US36.2 trillion ($A55.1 trillion) debt, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. Despite concerns over the 869-page bill's price tag and its hit to healthcare programs, Republicans largely lined up in support, with only two of the House's 220 Republicans voting against it. The bill has already cleared the Republican-controlled Senate by the narrowest possible margin. Republicans said the legislation will lower taxes for Americans across the income spectrum and spur economic growth. Republican Representative Virginia Foxx of North Carolina described the bill as bringing: "Historic tax relief for working families. Massive investment to secure our nation's borders. Capturing generational savings. Slashing waste, fraud and abuse in government programs so that they may run more efficiently." Every Democrat in Congress voted against it, blasting the bill as a giveaway to the wealthy that would leave millions uninsured. "The focus of this bill, the justification for all of the cuts that will hurt everyday Americans, is to provide massive tax breaks for billionaires," House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in an eight-hour, 46-minute speech that was the longest in the chamber's history. Trump kept up the pressure throughout, cajoling and threatening Congress as he pressed them to send him the legislation by the July 4 Independence Day holiday. "FOR REPUBLICANS, THIS SHOULD BE AN EASY YES VOTE. RIDICULOUS!!!" he wrote on social media. Republicans raced to meet that deadline, working through last weekend and holding all-night debates in the House and the Senate. The bill passed the Senate on Tuesday in 51-50 vote in that saw Vice President JD Vance cast the tie-breaking vote. According to the CBO, the bill would lower tax revenues by $US4.5 trillion ($A6.9 trillion) over 10 years and cut spending by $US1.1 trillion ($A1.7 trillion). Those spending cuts largely come from Medicaid, the health program that covers 71 million low-income Americans. The bill would tighten enrolment standards, institute a work requirement and clamp down on a funding mechanism used by states to boost federal payments - changes that would leave nearly 12 million people uninsured, according to the CBO. Republicans added $US50 billion ($A76 billion) for rural health providers to address concerns that those cutbacks would force them out of business. Nonpartisan analysts have found that the wealthiest Americans would see the biggest benefits from the bill, while lower-income people would effectively see their incomes drop as the safety-net cuts would outweigh their tax cuts. The increased debt load created by the bill would also effectively transfer money from younger to older generations, analysts say. Ratings firm Moody's downgraded US debt in May, citing the mounting debt, and some foreign investors say the bill is making US Treasury bonds less attractive. On the other side of the ledger, the bill staves off tax increases that were due to hit most Americans at the end of this year, when Trump's 2017 individual and business tax cuts were due to expire. Those cuts are now made permanent, while tax breaks for parents and businesses are expanded. The bill also sets up new tax breaks for tipped income, overtime pay, seniors and auto loans, fulfilling Trump campaign promises. The final version of the bill includes more substantial tax cuts and more aggressive healthcare cuts than an initial version that passed the House in May. During deliberations in the Senate, Republicans also dropped a provision that would have banned state-level regulations on artificial intelligence, and a "retaliatory tax" on foreign investment that had spurred alarm on Wall Street.
