President Donald Trump signed a sweeping 870-page tax and spending bill into law Friday afternoon during a celebratory White House ceremony that coincided with Independence Day festivities.
The legislation, narrowly passed by Congress just a day earlier, enacts major pillars of Trump’s second-term agenda including extending the 2017 tax cuts, boosting military spending, and intensifying immigration enforcement. While the White House has hailed it as a transformative economic package, critics warn of long-term fiscal and social consequences.
Dubbed by Trump as the “One Big, Beautiful Bill,” the legislation provides $150 billion in new defense spending and allocates $100 billion to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). It also rolls back clean energy tax credits established during the Biden administration and introduces new tax breaks on tipped income, overtime, and Social Security.
Speaking at a rally in Iowa on Thursday night, Trump called the bill “a phenomenal victory” and “the best birthday present America could ask for” as the country gears up to celebrate 250 years of independence. However, the mood in Washington has been far more divided.
The bill passed the House by a razor-thin margin of 218 to 214, with only two Republicans joining all 212 Democrats in opposition. Earlier, Vice President JD Vance had to break a tie in the Senate after three Republican senators initially resisted the measure.
Democrats condemned the bill’s deep cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), warning that nearly 12 million Americans could lose healthcare coverage and millions more could face food insecurity. “This is an extraordinary assault on the healthcare of the American people,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who spoke for nine hours in a failed bid to delay the vote.
Despite the White House’s optimism, polls suggest public support is low. A Quinnipiac University survey found only 29% of Americans support the legislation, though that number rises sharply among Republicans.
As fireworks lit up the sky and pilots from recent U.S. missions abroad joined the celebration, the administration now faces the challenge of convincing a skeptical public that the economic benefits of the bill will outweigh its social costs.
