House advances Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill through Rules Committee amid tight margins
The U.S. House of Representatives narrowly voted 219–213 late Wednesday to advance the Senate-passed version of former President Trump’s sprawling “One Big Beautiful Bill” (OBBBA) via the Rules Committee – clearing the way for a full floor vote by July 4. The procedural vote followed six hours of debate and intense lobbying from Speaker Mike Johnson and Trump supporters. Debate on the House floor began shortly after, with the final vote expected imminently.
The bill combines permanent extensions of 2017 tax cuts, tip and overtime tax relief, $150 bn for defence and border enforcement, with steep cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, clean‑energy credits, and student loans. The CBO estimates a $3.3 trillion rise in the national debt over ten years and the loss of healthcare for about 11.8 million Americans.
🔁 Political Reactions:
- Mike Johnson: “We got more work to do, but it’s going to get done.” (apnews.com, cbsnews.com)
- Hakeem Jeffries (House Minority Leader): > “This is robo robbery of poor Americans to give to billionaires.” (apnews.com)
- Political analyst: > “GOP unity shows Trump’s power, but narrow margins reveal deep fault lines.” (thedailybeast.com)
📰 Media Bias & Framing:
- Reuters/AP/CBS stick to procedural facts -vote count, timeline, and narrow GOP majority hurdles (aljazeera.com, cbsnews.com).
- Washington Post/WSJ highlight the internal divisions within the GOP, airing holdouts in the Freedom Caucus and moderates uneasy with deficit increases (wsj.com).
- Progressive outlets emphasise the human cost – medicaid cuts, debt impact, and political messaging advantage ahead of 2026 midterms (time.com).
📊 Sentiment: Neutral–negative. The procedural win keeps Trump’s agenda alive, but it exposes sharp ideological rifts and policy trade-offs with potentially damaging social and fiscal consequences.
