'Big, Beautiful Bill’ clears Congress and heads to Trump's desk

Republicans in Congress handed President Donald Trump a major legislative victory Thursday, narrowly passing the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which contains the bulk of his America First domestic agenda.

The sweeping package includes trillions of dollars in tax and spending cuts, while increasing funding for defense and immigration enforcement. It also features policy rollbacks that critics argue will hurt millions of the nation’s most vulnerable citizens, including cuts to Medicaid and nutrition programs.

Before the bill's passage, even within the GOP, there was deep skepticism about whether Republicans could pass this bill through both chambers of Congress.

Despite repeated hurdles, GOP leadership managed to deliver the bill to the president’s desk, but not without last-minute drama. A group of about a dozen House Freedom Caucus members, including Rep. Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma, initially withheld support over changes made by the Senate.

Brecheen was particularly frustrated by the Senate’s decision to slow the phaseout of clean energy tax credits, originally put in place by Democrats during the last budget reconciliation process.

“After meeting with the president, after multiple conversations, even up until the vote, we were still talking about how to advance the America First agenda,” Brecheen said. “I had to make a prayerful judgment call: Was this the best we could get that would pass the Senate and the House? And I got to a yes.”

Democrats unanimously opposed the bill, slamming it as a handout to the wealthy and big corporations at the expense of low-income Americans. They argued the tax breaks come at too high a cost, citing steep reductions to safety-net programs.

President Trump has framed the legislation as a necessary step to boost the economy and deliver on campaign promises. He is expected to sign the bill into law Friday, July 4, during a ceremony long planned to coincide with Independence Day celebrations.

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