By Jennifer Vigil 鈥 Times of San Diego The Associated Press
House Republicans lifted President Donald Trump鈥檚 $4.5 trillion tax breaks and spending cuts bill to final passage Thursday.
They overcame multiple setbacks to approve his second-term policy package before a self-imposed Fourth of July deadline.
The tight roll call, 218-214, came at a potentially high political cost, with two Republicans joining all Democrats opposed. GOP leaders worked overnight and the president himself leaned on a handful of skeptics to drop their opposition and send the bill to his desk to become law.
The passage of the 800-plus page 鈥渂ig beautiful bill鈥 will likely become a defining milestone of Trump鈥檚 return to the White House, and it鈥檚 indicative of the power the right wields in this majority-Republican Congress.
The atmosphere was joyous and musical at a ceremony for the passage of Republicans鈥 signature tax and spending bill.
鈥淚 believe in America,鈥 said House Speaker Mike Johnson, becoming briefly emotional as his colleagues cheered for him just ahead of the bill signing.
鈥淓verything was an absolute disaster under the Biden-Harris radical, woke, progressive, Democrat regime,鈥 Johnson said, adding that Republicans 鈥渉ad to quite literally fix every area of public policy.鈥
Johnson took selfies with lawmakers just before he signed the bill. Lawmakers all posed around the House speaker with their thumbs up as Johnson signed it, mimicking Trump鈥檚 signature poses. Half a dozen lawmakers also danced with their fists 鈥 Trump鈥檚 trademark dance move 鈥 as 鈥淵.M.C.A鈥 broke out in the room after Johnson penned his signature.
鈥淲ithout his leadership, none of this would have been possible,鈥 said Rep. Lisa McClain, the GOP conference chair. 鈥淏ut today, we passed actual transformational legislation, legislation that will impact every family tomorrow.鈥
San Diego鈥檚 Congressional delegation, comprised mostly of Democrats, feel the same 鈥 but they don鈥檛 think Americans鈥 lives will be transformed for the better.
Rep. Mike Levin, D-Dana Point 鈥 his district covers parts of North County and Orange County 鈥 called the legislation 鈥渢he worst bill that the House has voted on during my time in Congress鈥 and said House Republicans 鈥渄on鈥檛 care what they鈥檙e doing to working families.鈥
鈥淚鈥檝e made sure my Republican colleagues know exactly what their vote in support of this legislation means,鈥 he said in a news release. 鈥淭he numbers are dire. Health care coverage ripped away from 17 million Americans. Food assistance for 42 million threatened. Home electricity bills increasing over $400 dollars a year.鈥
Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Escondido, in a social media post, criticized Democrats for their filibuster before the bill passed.
鈥淓very Democrat in Congress is about to vote against tax cuts on tips, overtime, social security, car loans, families with kids and small businesses 鈥 while promising billions in benifits (sic) for illegals,鈥 he wrote. 鈥淣o wonder they鈥檙e filibustering.鈥
Like Levin, though, other San Diego Democrats pointed to the substantial cuts coming, especially for those in need of public assistance.
Rep. Juan Vargas said that 鈥淩epublicans in Congress have inflicted an unbelievable amount of pain and suffering on millions of families across the country and made it clear that billionaires matter more than their constituents. It鈥檚 an absolute betrayal. Shame on them. This won鈥檛 be forgotten.鈥
For Rep. Sara Jacobs, 鈥渢his bill represents government at its worst. It cements inequality by eliminating the few levers that people have to escape and stay out of poverty. It saddles future generations with enormous debt and a sicker and hungrier workforce.鈥
Rep. Scott Peters, another San Diego Democrat, said 鈥渢his partisan bill asks only those with the least to sacrifice while giving tax breaks to those with the most.鈥
It is, he concluded, 鈥渙bscene.鈥
The Associated Press contributed to this report.