WASHINGTON—After House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Republican leaders spent hours scrambling to flip holdouts, President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed a key procedural vote in the House.
In the early hours of July 3, the House voted 219-213 to open debate and tee the package up for final vote, due in the coming hours. If it passes, it will then head to Trump’s desk.
The development marked a victory for Johnson and Trump who had been whipping votes since the Senate’s passage on Tuesday. Both conservative and moderate holdouts objected to the Senate’s version of the bill for different reasons, including its effect on the deficit and deeper cuts to Medicaid.
At around 1:20 a.m., Johnson and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) told reporters they were working to persuade holdouts, with Johnson predicting that “sometime this morning, we’ll get the bill done.”
The procedural measure, known as a rules vote, was held open for more than five hours as it was locked in a 207–217 vote. Five Republicans had voted against advancing the bill, with eight other Republicans not voting and withholding their support.
Shortly after midnight, Trump encouraged lawmakers to advance the bill.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote, “Largest Tax Cuts in History and a Booming Economy vs. Biggest Tax Increase in History, and a Failed Economy. What are the Republicans waiting for??? What are you trying to prove??? MAGA IS NOT HAPPY, AND IT’S COSTING YOU VOTES!!!”
Speaking to reporters at about 1:45 a.m. ET, Johnson blamed the breadth of the Senate changes to the bill for the difficulties.
“I encouraged our Senate colleagues to make as few modifications as possible, and they made more than I frankly anticipated,” Johnson said.
“We will make our July 4th deadline, which everybody mocked when I said it,” Johnson added, referencing Trump’s request that Congress pass the bill by Independence Day.
Lawmakers finally advanced the measure around 3:30 a.m. ET.
Ahead of this vote, another procedural vote was held open on the floor for a record seven and a half hours as leadership sought to build support for legislation behind the scenes.
Scalise, soon after 1:20 a.m., predicted that “some folks will probably change their votes on the rule.”
Shortly before Scalise and Johnson spoke to reporters, Rep. Dale Strong (R-Ala.) emerged from Johnson’s office.
He told The Epoch Times he had been speaking with holdouts, though not with the White House.
Johnson told reporters that Vance, members of Trump’s cabinet, agencies, and others from the administration had engaged with lawmakers regarding the bill.
The Holdouts
Four conservatives—Reps. Keith Self (R-Texas), Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.), Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.), and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.)— had initially voted against advancing the bill, along with one moderate, Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.).
All of these, with the exception of Fitzpatrick, ultimately voted to advance the bill when it was brought back to the floor.
Massie initially voted “yea” on the motion to advance the bill, but later switched his vote. He’s been critical of the bill for its potential impact on the deficit, which the Congressional Budget Office has projected could be $3.3 trillion over 10 years.
Self explained his opposition to the bill in a post on X on July 2, citing differences between the Senate version being considered and the House’s original draft.
He said that the Senate bill defunds Planned Parenthood for one year instead of ten, “water[ed] down Medicaid reforms,” and slowed the phase-out of clean energy tax credits.
Self also expressed concerns about the potential impact of the bill on the deficit.
Rep. Bob Onder (R-Mo.), who had abstained in the initial vote to advance the measure, told The Epoch Times around 3:00 a.m. ET that he had been brought to a favorable position on the bill by the Trump administration.
