US Congress approves Trump's 'Big, Beautiful' tax and spending bill

House Republicans fall in line despite misgivings over bill's costs

House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson and other members of Congress. Reuters

US President Donald Trump secured a significant win on Thursday after Republicans voted to approve his tax and spending bill, cementing his second-term agenda and boosting funds for his anti-immigration drive.

The One Big Beautiful Bill, as Mr Trump called it, had a difficult journey, with complete Democratic opposition and several Republicans voicing misgivings about its costs and effects.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt declared it a "victorious day" for Americans and said Mr Trump would sign the bill into law on Friday, Independence Day in the US.

What does the new US remittances tax mean for migrants and foreign workers?

Read More

The bill is expected to add $3.4 trillion over a decade on to the country's fast-growing deficits, while shrinking the food stamps programme and forcing through the largest cuts to the Medicaid health insurance scheme for low-income Americans since its 1960s launch.

The bill will be a major landmark in Mr Trump's political life, and comes after he scored recent major wins, including in the Supreme Court and with strikes that led to a ceasefire between Israel and Iran.

Ms Leavitt said the bill will "permanently secure" the US southern border and would add funding for at least 1 million deportations a year.

It would also allow for hiring more immigration enforcement agents.

Speaker Mike Johnson had struggled through the night to gather his rank-and-file Republican members after the package scraped past a series of “test” votes in the House of Representatives that laid bare deep divisions in the party.

But after its last procedural hurdle in the early hours of Thursday, the bill was approved in a final vote of 218-214. It now goes to Mr Trump's desk to be signed into law.

The vote was split largely on party lines, with only two Republicans voting against it and no Democrats voted in favour.

House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries broke the record for the longest speech on the House floor, in an almost nine-hour address opposing the legislation.

"Budgets should be designed to lift people up. This reckless Republican budget … tears people down," Mr Jeffries said.

"It attacks children and seniors and everyday Americans and people with disabilities. This reckless Republican budget is in a immoral document."

The bill honours many of Mr Trump's campaign pledges, including cutting tax on tips, boosting military spending, funding a mass migrant deportation drive and committing $4.5 trillion to extend his first-term tax relief.