House Republicans advance Trump's tax and spending cuts bill

by · UPI

July 3 (UPI) -- House Republicans advanced Donald Trump's massive tax and spending cuts bill early Thursday following a mammoth overnight marathon session that included interventions by the president and House Speaker Mike Johnson to gain the votes of a handful of GOP holdouts.

At 3:23 a.m. Thursday, the House voted 219-213 to bring the bill to the floor for debate. The vote was along party lines, with only one Republican, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, crossing the aisle to vote against Trump's bill with his Democratic colleagues.

That's a dramatic turnaround, as Republicans in opposition to the bill had stalled the House for hours. About an hour before the bill was advanced, five Republicans had voted "no" and eight were holdouts.

"FOR REPUBLICANS, THIS SHOULD BE AN EASY YES VOTE. RIDICULOUS!!!" the president complained late Wednesday on his Truth Social media platform.

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"What are the Republicans waiting for???" Trump interjected in another post. "What are you trying to prove??? MAGA IS NOT HAPPY, AND IT'S COSTING YOU VOTES!!!"

His deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security advisor, Stephen Miller, described the bill in almost biblical proportions, stating on social media that the vote "is the kind of opportunity, once lost, where people look back centuries later and ask how the moment to save civilization was allowed to pass by."

Johnson held the vote open for five hours, and before it closed -- and in unprecedented fashion -- he gathered his GOP holdouts and prayed with them on the House floor. then he snapped their photo.

The bill was then adopted.

"It's been a long, productive day," Johnson of Louisiana told reporters earlier Wednesday night amid the stall. "We've been talking with members from across the conference and making sure that everyone's concerns are addressed and their questions are answered. And it's -- it's been a good day. We're in a good place right now."

The bill is forecast to add $3.3 trillion to the deficit over the next decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Adding to the deficit, tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and cuts to Medicaid are some of the reasons why opposition to the bill came not only from Democrats but also from conservative Republicans.

According to The Hill, Trump spoke over the phone early Thursday with holdouts Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., Victoria Spartz, R-Ind. and Tim Burchett, R-Tenn. -- all of whom eventually voted to move to bill forward

This is a developing story.