By Brendan Scanland
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Tuesday evening, the House of Representatives passed a massive, multitrillion-dollar budget blueprint in a nail-biting 217-215 vote.
Passing the plan was a crucial step for President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda. Throughout Tuesday, it was not clear if House Speaker Mike Johnson (R- LA) had the votes to get the blueprint across the finish line. Passage of the budget resolution means the budget process for Trump’s “one, big, beautiful bill” can formally begin.
“2025 is the Super Bowl of Tax. This ‘one big beautiful bill’ seeks to deliver on the entirety of President Trump’s agenda and fulfill our commitment to the American people,” said Congressman Mike Kelly (R- PA), who voted in favor of the Fiscal Year 2025 budget resolution
The plan paves the way for $4.5 trillion in tax breaks. Extending Trump’s 2017 tax cuts is a cornerstone for Republicans’ agenda with a trifecta in Washington. Without any action, provisions from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act expire at the end of the year.
The House GOP blueprint also calls for $2 trillion in spending cuts, cuts that could hit government programs that provide food assistance, student loan relief and health care.
“The Republican budget is going to take health care away from millions of working Americans and even children to pay for a tax cut that Elon Musk and Republican billionaire donors asked for,” said Rep. Pete Aguilar (D- CA), the House Democratic Caucus Chair.
Democrats have fiercely criticized the GOP plan. Some Republicans have even experienced pushback in their own districts at recent townhall events.
“Some of the people that hijacked those town halls are happy with the bloated status quo. They want the bloated status quo to continue. They don’t want to get our country back on track,” said Rep. Lisa McClain (R- MI), the Chairwoman of the House Republican Conference. “Even the DNC chair openly suggested that the outrage at the town halls across the country was orchestrated.”
A large group of Democrats rallied against the plan outside the Capitol Tuesday afternoon.
“House Democrats will not provide a single vote to this reckless Republican budget, not one,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D- NY).
Simultaneously, Republicans defended the budget blueprint throughout the day.
“What we’re talking about is rooting out the fraud, waste and abuse. Every taxpayer- it doesn’t matter what party you’re in, you should be for that, because it saves your money and it preserves the programs so that it is available for the people who desperately need it,” said Speaker Johnson.
Although the plan is still a blueprint, some Republicans want to approach with caution.
“I think we’ve got to be really careful. We talk about using a scalpel, not a chainsaw. And I think that’s absolutely true,” said Rep. Mike Kelly. “We’re going to make sure nobody gets hurt. But at the end of the day, there are going to be some things that will change and people get antsy when you start talking about change.”
Leading up to the vote, some moderate Republicans expressed unease about program cuts and conservative fiscal hawks were unhappy with the level of spending. With help from President Trump, Speaker Johnson raced to shore up support from members who were on the fence.
“We’re excited about the progress. And I’m very positive and I’m absolutely convinced we’re going to get this done,” said Johnson Tuesday morning. “I think everybody wants to be on this train and not in front of it.”
Passage of the budget resolution is the first of many steps before anything can become law. Committees will hold several hearings to debate and draft details before constructing the bill itself. The process is expected to take weeks.
