President Donald Trump secured one of the most important legislative victories of his second term on Thursday, after Congress narrowly passed his ambitious budget package. The so-called “Big, Beautiful Bill,” a sweeping 869-page project, seals many of the president’s policy priorities and promises deep changes in public spending—from a massive increase in funding for deportations to the largest cuts to Medicaid in over half a century.

According to AFP, the final vote in the House of Representatives ended 218 to 214, after weeks of intense negotiations between Republican leaders and a group of lawmakers reluctant to endorse cuts to social assistance programs. In the end, House Speaker Mike Johnson managed to bring the holdouts on board, while Trump multiplied phone calls and meetings to persuade them.

“Today we are laying a cornerstone of the new Golden Age of America,” Johnson declared after the vote. The White House indicated that the president will sign the bill on July 4, during Independence Day celebrations.

The megaproject will allocate $4.5 trillion to extend the tax cuts Trump approved during his first term between 2017 and 2021. At the same time, it significantly increases military spending and funds a massive deportation campaign, fulfilling several of his electoral promises.

During a rally in Iowa on Thursday, the president called the law “the biggest of its kind ever signed” and said it would turn the country “into a rocket ship.”

But the magnitude of the initiative has also sparked fierce criticism. It is estimated that it will add $3.4 trillion to the fiscal deficit over the next decade. According to projections cited by AFP, the cuts to Medicaid could leave about 17 million low-income Americans without health coverage. Numerous rural hospitals are also expected to face closure due to lack of funding.

The Democratic opposition presented the measure as an example of a regressive redistribution of wealth. Before the final vote, Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries spoke for more than three hours on the floor, denouncing what he described as “a repugnant abomination.”

“This big, ugly bill—this reckless Republican budget—has nothing to do with improving the quality of life of the American people,” Jeffries said.

Even among Republicans, the legislation caused divisions. While some moderates fear losing support in districts that depend heavily on social programs, more orthodox fiscal conservatives complained that the promised savings were “far below expectations.”

Nonetheless, Trump managed to maintain party discipline. For many analysts, the outcome underscores the political strength he exerts over the Republican ranks, in a context marked by other recent victories for his administration, including favorable Supreme Court rulings and a truce between Israel and Iran following U.S. airstrikes.

With the signing ceremony planned as a symbolic gesture, Trump aims to send the message that his government is determined to consolidate an agenda that combines tax cuts with hardline immigration policies. Meanwhile, Democrats hope the controversy will fuel their efforts to reclaim the House majority in the 2026 midterm elections.

With information from AFP