Jeffries breaks House speech record as Trump’s sweeping tax and spending bill passes by narrow margin

In a dramatic night on Capitol Hill, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Democrat, delivered the longest floor speech in the history of the United States House of Representatives, speaking for more than eight and a half hours in a final stand against President Donald Trump’s signature tax and spending cuts package.

Jeffries, invoking the words of Martin Luther King Jr., closed his marathon address with a vow to “press on for the sick… press on for the weak… press on for the rule of law… press on for democracy… until victory is won.” He stepped away from the podium to an outpouring of hugs from his Democratic colleagues, having delayed the vote until the early morning hours.

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Republicans, meanwhile, remained resolute. “We are ready to put it on the floor as soon as Hakeem is done,” Republican conference chair Lisa McClain told reporters minutes before Jeffries finished. McClain, a congresswoman from Michigan, expressed confidence that the package would clear its final hurdle after a tense overnight rule vote.

The bill’s passage marks a major milestone for Trump, who returns to the White House for a second term with a unified GOP but a fractious caucus. The legislation — dubbed by the president as “One Big Beautiful Bill” — swept through the House by a slender margin of 218 to 214, with just two Republican defections. All Democratic members voted against it.

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“It takes a lot longer to build a lie than to tell the truth,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said pointedly as he rose to the floor after Jeffries’ speech, earning raucous applause from his Republican colleagues who had sat through the overnight filibuster. Johnson heaped praise on Trump, calling him the “creator and champion of the America-first agenda.”

The president’s sweeping package combines deep tax cuts with historic reductions in federal spending, including substantial changes to social safety net programmes such as Medicaid. Critics warn it will dramatically widen the deficit while placing greater financial burdens on vulnerable Americans.

Republicans counter that the plan will deliver long-term growth and put more money in working families’ pockets.

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Congresswoman McClain shrugged off concerns that the cuts could hurt the party at the ballot box. “You can say what you want, but people vote with their wallets,” she said. GOP leaders argued that the bill will resonate with lower- and middle-income Americans, whose votes they hope to secure ahead of the midterm elections.

For House Speaker Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, the victory caps a frenzied effort to bring their fractured party in line. For weeks, hard-line fiscal conservatives had balked at the package’s multi-trillion-dollar price tag, while moderates worried about deep cuts to healthcare and other vital services. In the end, it was Trump’s personal intervention that helped break the impasse.

“They got some assurances from the president that we would continue the savings process,” McClain said. “Only one man can seal the deal,” Representative Anna Paulina Luna added.

The final vote provides Trump with his first major legislative win just six months into his second term — an achievement Republicans are keen to frame as proof of his enduring grip on the GOP and his ability to deliver on campaign promises. The White House has indicated the president will sign the bill into law tomorrow, on the Fourth of July holiday.

As the ink dries on this landmark legislation, its real test will come in the months ahead. Seniors, students, families and taxpayers across the country will soon feel the impact of its far-reaching tax reforms and spending cuts. Democrats have vowed to fight the bill’s effects beyond the Capitol, setting up a fierce battle that could define the political landscape heading into the next election cycle.