WashingtonFollowing nearly overwhelming Republican backing in Congress for the domestic priority that might solidify his second-term legacy, President Donald Trump signed his package of tax reductions and spending cutbacks into law on Friday.
Trump signed the multitrillion-dollar bill outside the White House, surrounded by Republican lawmakers and Cabinet members. He then slammed the gavel that House Speaker Mike Johnson gave him, which was used to pass the bill on Thursday.
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Despite almost insurmountable obstacles, Trump succeeded in celebrating a historic and contentious legislative win in time for the country’s birthday. When Trump and first wife Melania Trump emerged onto the White House balcony for the customary Fourth of July picnic, fighter aircraft and a stealth bomber flew across the sky.
Trump said that the flyover was intended to commemorate last month’s bombing campaign against Iran’s nuclear program and that America was “winning, winning, winning like never before.” We have fulfilled the commitments that we made.
For the customary Fourth of July celebrations, red, white, and blue bunting was strung throughout the White House. The US Marine Band performed patriotic marches and, in true Trump fashion, songs by Huey Lewis and Chaka Khan, two of the biggest pop stars of the 1980s. Trump’s presence and the band performing the national anthem were preceded by two distinct flyovers.
Democrats criticized the measure as a gift to the wealthy that will deprive millions of people with lower incomes of their financial security, food aid, and health insurance.
During a historic statement that caused the measure to be delayed by more than eight hours, Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York remarked, “I never thought that I’d be on the House floor saying that this is a crime scene.” This is a crime scene that targets the safety, well-being, and health of Americans.
The bill reduces Medicaid and food stamps by $1.2 trillion and prolongs Trump’s multitrillion-dollar tax cuts from 2017. It calls for a significant expansion of immigration enforcement. According to a nonpartisan scorekeeper for Congress, the measure will result in the loss of health insurance for about 12 million additional people.
Following months of efforts by the Republican Party to consolidate most of its legislative aims into a single budget plan that could be implemented without Senate Democrats being able to filibuster it indefinitely, the legislation passed the House on Thursday on a mainly party-line vote.
In the Senate, where Republican Thom Tillis of North Carolina declared he would not seek reelection after inciting Trump’s wrath by opposing it, it passed by a single vote. The vote that broke the tie had to be cast by Vice President JD Vance.
Trump’s well-funded political campaign has also turned its attention to conservative maverick Tom Massie of Kentucky, one of the two Republicans who voted against it in the House.
By reversing Obama’s Medicaid expansion under his landmark health bill and Joe Biden’s renewable energy tax credits, the proposal essentially repudiates the goals of the last two Democratic presidents.
According to the package, 11.8 million more people will lack health care over the course of ten years.
Trump celebrated his political triumph Thursday night in Iowa, where he was present at the beginning of celebrations for the nation’s 250th birthday the next year.
“I want to express my gratitude to the Republican congressmen and women for their amazing work,” he added. The president said that Democrats opposed the plan because they detested Trump, but I also despise them.
Democrats are preparing aggressive plans for protests, voter registration drives, attack advertisements, bus tours, and even a multiday vigil to draw attention to the package’s most contentious aspects, which is sure to be a hot topic in next year’s midterm elections.
Trump said the package was quite popular when he returned to Washington early Friday, although polls indicates that public sentiment is at best ambivalent.
For instance, according to a Washington Post/Ipsos survey, almost half of American adults favor work requirements for certain Medicaid-eligible adults, and the majority favor raising the annual child tax credit and doing away with tip taxes.
But according to the survey, most people are against cutting back on federal support for low-income families’ food aid and allocating almost $45 billion for the construction and upkeep of migrant detention facilities. The fact that the plan is predicted to raise the $36 trillion national debt by more than $3 trillion over the next ten years was deemed undesirable by around 60% of respondents.
