House Republicans narrowly approved President Trump’s “big, beautiful” agenda bill Thursday morning, sending it to the Senate after a 48-hour scramble to get fiscal conservatives and blue-state moderates on board.
With the 215-214 vote, lawmakers met House Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) goal of approving the legislation by the Memorial Day holiday, but more drama is likely in the Senate, where Republicans have both demanded both additional spending cuts and insisted on preserving current rules around Medicaid.
Two Republicans voted with 212 Democrats against the measure: Warren Davidson of Ohio and Thomas Massie of Kentucky. Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.) leader of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, voted “present.”
The bill approved Thursday extends Trump’s 2017 tax cuts while temporarily eliminating levies on qualified tips, overtime pay, and car loan interest payments. The measure does not do away with taxes on Social Security income, instead giving seniors an additional deduction.
Other key components of the bill include:
- Increasing the state and local tax (SALT) deduction cap to $20,000 for married individuals filing separately ($250,000 income limit) and $40,000 in the case of any other taxpayer ($500,000 income limit).
- Raising the debt ceiling by $4 trillion
- Providing $175 billion in spending on border security, including $46.5 billion for the construction of a wall along the US-Mexico border.
- Providing $150 billion in additional funding for defense, including $25 billion for Trump’s space-based Golden Dome missile defense system, $34 billion to expand the Navy’s capacity and shipbuilding, $21 billion to replenish America’s ammunition stockpile and $5 billion for border security.
- Implementing an 80-hour-per-month work requirement — including volunteer work and school — on able-bodied adults ages 19-64 to be enrolled in Medicaid.
- Extending SNAP work requirements for able-bodied adults without children through the age of 64
- Setting up a fast-track system for permitting natural gas exploration if applicants pay either 1% of a project’s costs or $10 million, whichever amount is less.
- Ending the Biden-era mandate that two-thirds of new car sales be electric vehicles by 2032.
- Creation of “Trump” savings accounts for children born between Jan. 1, 2025, and Jan. 1, 2029, with the government providing $1,000 in seed money.
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