WASHINGTON – The House is set to begin debate July 2 on President Donald Trump’s legislative package of tax reductions and Medicaid cuts, as Republican leaders determine whether they can chart a path to victory with narrow majorities in Congress.
Trump has been urging lawmakers to send him the bill to sign into law by July 4 but also acknowledged the timeline is flexible. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, and other leaders said in a joint statement they would “work quickly” to meet their self-imposed deadline by approving the Senate version, which Vice President JD Vance pushed across the finish line with a tie-breaking vote July 1.
“Republicans were elected to do exactly what this bill achieves: secure the border, make tax cuts permanent, unleash American energy dominance, restore peace through strength, cut wasteful spending, and return to a government that puts Americans first,” the GOP leadership statement said.
More: Big Beautiful Bill 101: What you need to know about Trump’s tax bill
But the path is narrow enough that changes are still possible. The House approved its initial version of the bill on a 215-214 vote in May. After four days of marathon debate and voting, the Senate approved its version in a 51-50 vote July 1, with three Republicans voting no and Vance breaking the tie.
Multiple House Republicans who supported their version of the bill – including Reps. Andy Harris of Maryland and Ralph Norman of South Carolina – said they oppose the Senate version. Harris and Norman are members of the House Freedom Caucus, which aims to cut federal spending.
A wavering Republican who voted yes, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said the House should recognize “we’re not there yet” and make improvements before sending it back to the Senate.
“Because we have two options here, right? Kill it and it’s gone,” Murkowski said.
Here’s what we know about the bill:
More: The winners (and losers) in Trump’s ‘big beautiful’ tax bill
What’s President Trump’s schedule today?
President Donald Trump urged House Republicans to not “let the Radical Left Democrats push you around” as he pushed for the quick passage of the Senate version of his massive tax and spending bill.
Trump has no public events scheduled for July 2 on his official presidential schedule, but the president is expected to closely keep tabs on the House proceedings as the lower chambers takes up his so-called “big, beautiful bill.”
With Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote, the Senate on July 1 approved the sweeping legislation by a 51-50 vote, with three Republican defectors.
“Our Country will make a fortune this year, more than any of our competitors, but only if the Big, Beautiful Bill is PASSED!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social that also touted revenue collected by his tariffs on imports. “As they say, Trump’s been right about everything, and this is the easiest of them all to predict”
“Republicans, don’t let the Radical Left Democrats push you around. We’ve got all the cards, and we are going to use them,” he said. – Joey Garrison
House committee advances Trump’s bill without changes
A key House committee advanced President Donald Trump’s tax bill in a late-night marathon session.
Two of the House Rules Committee’s Republicans — Reps. Chip Roy of Texas and Ralph Norman of South Carolina — voted against it, signaling the bruising floor fight to come over the bill’s more than $3.3 trillion price tag.
Members of both parties submitted more than 500 amendments to the bill, but none were adopted. The Senate’s version of the bill is what will head to the floor.
Now, House Speaker Mike Johnson and Trump are getting to work twisting arms as members trickle into Washington. A group of hold-outs, including Norman, are heading to the White House today to discuss the path forward with Trump.
“I’m sure he’s going to be mad,” Norman told NBC News, “but I don’t know what to tell him.” – Riley Beggin
Rules Committee previewed floor debate
The Rules Committee, which sets the framework for how legislation is debated on the House floor, offered a preview July 1 of how the debate will unfold.
Democrats warned about losses to the most vulnerable through cuts to food assistance and Medicaid, while Republicans highlighted tax cuts to help working families by not taxing tips or overtime.
“This couldn’t be a better time or better policies to strengthen working families,” said Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, who heads the Budget Committee.
But Rep. Brendan Boyle of Pennsylvania, the top Democrat on the Budget Committee, said polling found 2-1 margins against the bill.
“This is going to be one of the biggest if not the biggest votes in each and every one of our careers,” Boyle said. “I am proud to be here doing everything I possibly can to say, ‘Hell, no, let’s kill this bill.’” – Bart Jansen
Two GOP members of Freedom Caucus oppose Senate bill
Norman, a member of the Rules Committee, said he would vote against the Senate version of the bill.
“What they did to our bill was unconscionable,” Norman said. “My hope is we go back to the drawing board and get something close to what we passed.”
Harris told Fox News’ “America Reports” that he would oppose the rule so that negotiations would continue with the Senate.
“The bottom line is this is not ready for prime time,” Harris said. “This is not going to sail through the House.”
“We’ll get there eventually but I don’t think it’s going to be in the next couple of days,” Harris said.
– Riley Beggin and Bart Jansen
Musk opposes bill, threatens GOP with primary challengers
Elon Musk, Trump’s former billionaire adviser who spent nearly $300 million last year to help Republicans win the election, blasted the bill and said he would support GOP primary challengers to anyone who supports it.
“Every member of Congress who campaigned on reducing government spending and then immediately voted for the biggest debt increase in history should hang their head in shame!” Musk wrote on social media June 30. “And they will lose their primary next year if it is the last thing I do on this Earth.”
Musk is CEO of Tesla, which makes electric vehicles, and SpaceX, which makes rockets. Trump contends Musk opposes the bill because it would end subsidies for electric vehicles and because the president passed over his choice to head NASA.
Trump told reporters July 1 he would consider deporting Musk, a naturalized U.S. citizen from South Africa. “I don’t know. We’ll have to take a look,” Trump said. – Bart Jansen
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Live updates on Trump tax bill: House to vote on legislation again
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