The U.S. House of Representatives is set on Thursday to hold the final vote on the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill,” the ambitious package of tax cuts and public spending pushed by President Donald Trump. The decision comes after a high-stakes political day that exposed deep fractures among Republicans and opened a new front in the debate over the future of the deficit and the nation’s social safety net.

The 887-page bill was already approved in the Senate on Tuesday by a razor-thin margin of just one vote, but it returned to the House for lawmakers to ratify the revisions introduced by senators. According to Republican leadership, the final vote was scheduled for around 8:30 a.m. (Washington time), with the goal of having the legislation ready for the president’s signature before the symbolic July 4th deadline Trump set himself.

The proposal includes a combination of measures reflecting several of Trump’s core campaign promises: increased military spending, funding for a mass migrant deportation program, and the extension of the tax cuts passed during his first term, valued at an estimated $4.5 trillion over the next decade.

However, the package has also generated strong controversy over its fiscal and social implications. Preliminary estimates indicate that it would add $3.4 trillion to the federal deficit over ten years. In addition, it envisions the largest cuts to the Medicaid health insurance program —which covers millions of low-income Americans— since its creation in the 1960s, along with reductions to the federal food stamps program.

Tensions within the Republican caucus

Wednesday’s session revealed the complexity of the internal negotiations. House Speaker Mike Johnson had to spend long hours trying to secure enough support among his ranks while the bill struggled to pass a series of procedural votes.

One of these preliminary votes remained open for more than seven hours —the longest period ever recorded in House history— raising alarms about the risk that the initiative could collapse at the last moment. Johnson can only afford to lose three Republican votes in the final tally. More than two dozen conservative lawmakers have expressed doubts or outright opposition to the proposal.

While some moderate representatives fear that social spending cuts could hurt their chances of reelection, Republicans closer to fiscal orthodoxy criticize the legislation for falling short of the promised spending reductions.

Trump, meanwhile, again turned to his Truth Social platform to publicly pressure undecided lawmakers. “FOR REPUBLICANS, THIS SHOULD BE AN EASY YES VOTE. RIDICULOUS!!!” he wrote in one of several messages that showed his frustration with the lack of consensus.

Democratic criticism and the electoral horizon

The Democratic minority in the House has pledged to use the content of the bill as a campaign argument to try to regain control of the chamber in the 2026 midterm elections. Among their main criticisms is the redistributive effect of the proposal, which, according to several analyses cited by Democrats, will shift resources from lower-income Americans to the wealthiest sectors.

“It’s a disgusting abomination,” denounced House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who blamed Senate Republicans for approving cuts that, according to preliminary estimates, could leave about 17 million people without health coverage and force the closure of dozens of rural hospitals.

Although final approval still depends on the last vote count, the administration is confident that a combination of political pressure and party discipline will allow it to celebrate the most significant legislative victory of this term before the Independence Day holiday.

To watch the Big, Beautiful Bill vote live, click here: Last debate in The House of Representatives.