(Washington) Donald Trump won the first major legislative victory for his second term with the adoption with difficulty by the congress of a large budgetary bill which acts in the decrees of tax protection and cuts in the social protection of the Americans on Thursday.
The republican president must promulgate this text, which he baptized “great and beautiful law” and of which he made the key to his economic program, Friday, the day of the American national holiday, as he ardently wished.
This law provides for the extension of colossal tax credits adopted during the billionaire’s first mandate, the elimination of taxation on tips, a flagship promise of its campaign, as well as additional billions of dollars for the defense and the fight against immigration.
To partially compensate for the expected digging of the deficit, the text provides in particular important cuts in Medicaid, a public health insurance program on which millions of Americans depend on low incomes, a drastic reduction in the country’s main food aid program as well as the abolition of numerous tax incentives for renewable energies adopted under Joe Biden.
After the Senate, which had approved it narrowly on Tuesday, the House of Representatives definitively adopted this imposing text (869 pages), during a very tight vote Thursday, preceded by multiple pressures and negotiations.
This law will propel the American economy as a “rocket”, said Donald Trump, who goes to a rally in Iowa on Friday to launch the celebrations of the 250e Anniversary of the United States, in 2026.
According to Karoline Leavitt, spokesperson for the White House, “this text brings together all the policies on which the president campaigned and for which the Americans voted”.
The signature ceremony is scheduled at the White House on Friday at 4 p.m. (4 p.m. Eastern time).
Two Republicans against
To denounce this “repugnant monstrosity” which “will make ordinary Americans suffer”, the leader of elected democrats Hakeem Jeffries delivered a speech of almost nine hours on Thursday – a record in the House of Representatives – in order to postpone the final vote as much as possible.
Photo Alex Wroblewski, agency France-Presse
Hakeem Jeffries
Once the ballot won by 218 votes against 214, parliamentarians chanted “USA, USA, USA! In the hemicycle.
Only two elected officials of the conservative majority finally voted “against”, the result of the maximum pressure exerted by the leaders of the Republican Party and by Donald Trump himself. The presidential party could not afford more than three defections in its own camp.
Wednesday evening, the president had raised the tone and expresses his Truth Social network of his impatience: “What are the Republicans waiting for?” ».
The head of state spoke on the phone to recalcitrant elected officials from his camp until late at night to convince them, according to the head of the House of Representatives, Republican Mike Johnson.
Dozens of amendments
The expected explosion of the public deficit made the adoption of the law difficult for many Republicans attached to a serious budget.
The Congress’s Budget Office, responsible for non -supported the impact of public finance bills, believes that the text would increase debt by more than $ 3400 billion by 2034.
“I came to Washington (as an elected official, editor’s note) to help brake our national debt,” said Republican Keith Self, expressing his opposition to the text before finally getting into the rank.
The bill had been adopted in the Senate of accuracy on Tuesday after 26 hours of votes on dozens of amendments.
The democrats, minority in the two chambers of the congress, could only delay his adoption, like the long speech of their leader in the House.
“Seventeen million people have just lost their health insurance,” said California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, who asserts himself as a major opposition figure to Donald Trump.
Former Democratic President Joe Biden denounced an “irresponsible” and “cruel” law for the less wealthy Americans.
