Washington (AP) After nearly complete Republican backing in Congress, President Donald Trump signed his package of tax breaks and spending cuts into law on Friday. This domestic goal might solidify his legacy from his second term.
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 during the bill’s final passage on Thursday.
Despite almost insurmountable odds, Trump succeeded in celebrating a historic and contentious legislative win on the nation’s birthday. Over the yearly Fourth of July meal at the White House, fighter planes and stealth bombers flew across the sky.
In reference to the bombing campaign against Iran’s nuclear program last month, which he claimed the flyover was intended to commemorate, Trump declared, “America is winning, winning, winning like never before.” We have fulfilled the commitments that we made.On Friday, July 4, 2025, in Washington, a B-2 bomber and two F-22 fighters fly over the White House during a Fourth of July celebration. (Photo by Evan Vucci/AP)
For the customary Fourth of July celebrations, red, white, and blue bunting was strung throughout the White House. In true Trump flair, the US Marine Band performed songs by 1980s pop stars Huey Lewis and Chaka Khan in addition to patriotic marches. Three distinct flyovers were present.
Before signing the law, Trump spoke for a comparatively short twenty-two minutes, but he was obviously fired up as the legislation’s passing ended his administration’s recent winning streak. She battled for a number of U.S. Supreme Court decisions, including the Iran campaign.
The president’s most well-known victory to date is the budget legislation. It contains important campaign promises such as not taxing Social Security income or tips. Trump said that the act would make our nation a rocket ship economically and spent an unusual amount of time honoring specific Republican senators who helped get the plan through Congress.
Big cuts to Medicaid and food stamps
The package was criticized as a gift to the wealthy that will deprive millions of people with lower incomes of their financial security, food assistance, and health care.
The deadliest job-killing bill in American history was signed into law by Donald Trump today. It will be the biggest money grab from the working class to the ultra-rich in the nation, robbing 17 million workers of their health insurance to fund significant tax giveaways to the wealthiest and giant corporations. Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO, said in a statement. In order to give millionaires a $5 trillion gift, every member of Congress who supported this disastrous law took money out of working people’s pockets.
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.
After months of efforts by the Republican Party to consolidate most of its legislative aims into a single budget package that could be implemented without Senate Democrats’ indefinite filibustering power, 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 Congressional Budget Office, 11.8 million more people will lack health insurance and the package will increase the budget by $3.3 trillion over the course of ten years.
Democrats vow to make bill a midterm issue
Trump’s signature of the measure, according to Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin’s statement on Friday, “sealed the Republican Party’s fate, cementing them as the party for billionaires and special interests, not working families.” Martin termed the bill terrible.
Because of that, he said, Republicans would lose their congressional majority. According to Martin, this was a complete betrayal of the American people.
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.
By Nicholas Riccardi and Darlene Superville The Associated Press
