'Big, Beautiful Bill': Pennsylvania GOP Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick votes 'no' twice
PHILADELPHIA - The House has advanced President Donald Trump's $3.3 trillion "big, beautiful bill" after voting Thursday afternoon.
What we know:
The 940-page "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," as it is now formally titled, cuts spending on Medicaid, food stamps and other programs as a way to help cover the cost of extending tax cuts.
Before the final vote could commence, the procedural vote on the rules, which determine how the legislative process for taking up the bill works, began late Wednesday night. All Democrats voted no. An initial five Republicans were holdouts, but four were eventually persuaded to support the bill's advancement as House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., held the vote open into Thursday morning.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick from Pennsylvania was the only Republican not to reverse his "no" vote.
UNITED STATES - MAY 9: Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., attends a news conference outside the U.S. Capitol on "immigration and expanding the issuance of work permits for families with mixed immigration status," on Thursday, May 9, 2024. (Tom Williams/C
Reports say that Fitzpatrick immediately fled the House floor after casting his procedural vote Wednesday night.
During the official vote Thursday afternoon, GOP Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Fitzpatrick both voted against the bill. Fitzpatrick said he was concerned about the cuts to Medicaid.
"It wasn’t beautiful enough for me to vote for it," said Rep. Massie.
Dig deeper:
The spending bill’s priority is $4.5 trillion in tax breaks passed in President Donald Trump's first term, in 2017, that would expire if Congress failed to act, along with new ones.
This includes allowing workers to deduct tips and overtime pay, and a $6,000 deduction for most older adults earning less than $75,000 a year.
There's also a $350-billion investment in national security and Trump's deportation agenda and to help develop the "Golden Dome" defensive system over the U.S.
To neutralize the costs of lost tax revenue, the spending bill includes $1.2 trillion in cutbacks to Medicaid healthcare and food stamps, largely by imposing new work requirements, including for some parents and older people, and a massive rollback of green energy investments.
According to the Associated Press, the Congressional Budget Office estimates the spending package will add $3.3 trillion to the deficit over the next decade and 11.8 million more people will go without health coverage.
'Big beautiful bill' passes final vote in House; moves to Trump
The House approved a final version of President Donald Trump’s spending bill ahead of the July 4 deadline imposed by Trump. Here's what the bill includes.
A marathon session in the Senate that began over the weekend featured intense negotiations, a 16-hour read-through of the bill and over 24 hours of voting on amendments. The bill only passed when Vice President JD Vance cast the tie-breaking vote.
That was followed by a lengthy House vote to reconcile the two versions of the bills and then a record-setting speech on the House floor by Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries that served to delay, but not prevent, the bill's adoption.
What's next:
President Trump is now expected to sign it into law, possibly on July 4.
The Source: Information in this article was taken from the results of a House vote on July 3, 2025. Background information was taken from The Associated Press and FOX News.