Marathon Vote SHATTERS Congressional Record!

The House of Representatives has smashed its own record with a seven-plus-hour vote on President Donald Trump’s $3.3 trillion “big, beautiful bill,” exposing deep rifts inside the GOP only hours before a promised July 4 signing ceremony.

At a Glance

• The procedural “rule” vote ran more than seven hours, eclipsing the 2021 record set during debate on the Build Back Better package.
• Speaker Mike Johnson must flip at least three remaining Republican holdouts before a final vote.
• Democrats unanimously oppose the measure, citing a projected $3.3 trillion deficit surge over ten years.
• The Senate passed its version 51-50, with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaker.
• Trump has threatened to “name and shame” GOP defectors on social media if the bill misses the Independence Day deadline.

Record Vote, Raucous Floor

Wednesday night’s marathon tally officially ended at 9:15 p.m. ET, 15 minutes longer than the seven-hour, six-minute slog logged during Joe Biden’s 2021 agenda vote, according to an Axios comparison. The delay reflected simmering resistance from fiscal hawks who object to the bill’s projected $3.3 trillion cost — a figure confirmed in the latest Congressional Budget Office estimate.

Inside the chamber, Speaker Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise repeatedly huddled with Freedom Caucus dissenters Chip Roy and Thomas Massie, while moderate Brian Fitzpatrick pressed for adjustments to Medicaid work-requirement language — all under the glare of cameras and jeers from a unified Democratic caucus.

Watch a report: House Debates Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” Record Vote

Johnson’s team insists the procedural win, secured 219-213, paves the way for final passage “before the fireworks.” But Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries mocked the scramble by launching a “magic-minute” speech that chewed nearly an hour off the GOP’s overnight clock, echoing the drama of his 2023 marathon address.

Pressure Mounts Before Final Deadline

The Speaker’s dilemma was set in motion two days earlier, when the Senate approved its version in a nail-biting 51-50 vote, with Vice President Vance’s tie-breaker sealing the deal. Senate leaders added green-energy credits and pared back Medicaid savings, prompting House conservatives to accuse colleagues of “caving to swamp politics.”

Fiscal watchdogs warn the combined tax cuts and defense buildup could swell the national debt past $45 trillion by 2034; Democrats brand the bill a “third rail for middle-class wallets,” pointing to steep SNAP and Medicaid trims highlighted in a Guardian floor report. Republican leaders counter that extending Trump’s 2017 tax relief would avert a $2,000 average family tax hike and inject “rocket fuel” into growth.

Signing Ceremony Already Scheduled?

With Independence Day hours away, Trump has scheduled a South Lawn signing and warned holdouts via Truth Social that he will “publish names” of any defectors. Behind the scenes, Johnson is dangling committee assignments and pork-barrel carve-outs — a tactic that reportedly secured Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s earlier Senate yes vote after Alaska-specific energy incentives were added.

If the Speaker corrals the last three votes, the bill heads straight to the White House; if not, leadership faces the humiliation of reopening negotiations on concessions that could further balloon the price tag. Either way, the House’s record-shattering vote has transformed a routine procedural step into a high-stakes showdown that will echo well beyond the July 4 fireworks.