U.S. House Passes Trillion-Dollar Spending Bill in Narrow Vote, A Key Win for Trump.
In a closely contested vote on Tuesday, February 25, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a massive government spending bill, giving former President Donald Trump a critical legislative win as he advances his 2025 agenda.
The bill passed by a razor-thin margin of 217-215, highlighting divisions within the Republican Party over fiscal policy. House Speaker Mike Johnson faced early challenges rallying support, initially delaying the vote due to concerns over spending and tax cuts.
At the core of the bill is a $4.5 trillion package that includes sweeping tax cuts, significant military funding, and a major push for stricter immigration enforcement. While Democrats unanimously opposed it, the only Republican to break ranks was Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who argued that the proposed spending cuts didn’t go far enough. One Democrat was absent during the vote.
To offset the tax reductions, the bill includes $2 trillion in spending cuts over the next decade. It also aims to extend Trump-era tax cuts set to expire at the end of the year. However, fiscal hawks within the GOP initially resisted, calling for deeper reductions in government spending.
Behind the scenes, House leaders, including Speaker Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise, worked relentlessly to secure the votes needed for passage. Trump himself reportedly made direct calls to undecided lawmakers, urging them to back the bill.
In the end, three Republican holdouts—Tim Burchett, Victoria Spartz, and Warren Davidson—threw their support behind the legislation, ensuring its approval.
“We have a lot of hard work ahead of us, but we are going to deliver the America First agenda,” Speaker Johnson declared after the vote.
The battle is far from over. The bill now moves to the Senate, where lawmakers must reconcile it with their own spending proposal before it can reach Trump’s desk for final approval.
