President Trump signs 'Big and Good' bill, Democrats vow to make opponents 'pay'
The landmark bill would implement key parts of Donald Trump's agenda and could shape his second-term legacy.
On July 4, US President Donald Trump signed into law a sweeping tax and spending reform bill, a day after Congress passed it by a narrow margin.
The new law would make his 2017 tax cuts permanent, slash federal spending on social programs, and fund a massive expansion of border security and defense.
"I've never seen the people of our country so happy, because so many different groups of people are being taken care of: the military, all the civilian components, all kinds of jobs," Mr. Trump said at the signing ceremony at a July 4th Independence Day picnic at the White House.
The bill passed the House by just four votes, with nearly all Democrats and two Republicans voting against it over concerns about health care cuts and a projected $3 trillion increase in the national debt.
After a grueling legislative process, Mr Trump achieved his goal of signing the landmark bill into law on Independence Day. "America is winning, winning, winning like never before," Mr Trump said.
He thanked Republican lawmakers who helped pass the bill, especially House Speaker Mike Johnson, who was also present to witness the signing ceremony.
Trump signed the bill on a table in the White House driveway, tapping the table with the gavel given to him by President Johnson (which was used for the final vote). The ceremony also began with a flyover by a B-2 bomber, the same aircraft that recently attacked Iran’s nuclear facilities, over the White House.
But along with tax cuts, increased defense spending and immigration enforcement, the law would shrink the federal food assistance program (food stamps) and make the biggest cuts to the Medicaid health insurance program for low-income people since its creation in the 1960s.
By some estimates, as many as 17 million people could lose their health insurance under the law. An analysis by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) also found that it would add more than $3 trillion to the nation’s $36.2 trillion debt.
Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Ken Martin said in a statement that Mr Trump's signature on the bill "seals the fate of the Republican Party, cementing it as the party of billionaires and special interests — not working families".
He predicted the law would cost Republicans in the 2026 midterm elections. “This law will be a burden around the neck of the Republican Party for years to come,” he said. “This is a complete betrayal of the American people.”
Democrats are mounting an ambitious campaign that includes marches, voter registration drives, attack ads, bus tours and even a multi-day vigil to highlight the most controversial aspects of the law.
