It marks a notable win for House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., although the battle is far from finished.
In the early hours of Thursday, lawmakers voted to advance discussion on the massive Trump-backed legislative package through a procedural “rule vote” — paving the way for a full House vote later in the morning.
The House approved the debate rules for the bill in a narrow 219-213 decision — with only centrist Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., opposing the motion.
A final vote on the bill itself is expected sometime Thursday.
However, the schedule depends heavily on how long Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries continues to speak.
“I feel it’s my duty, Mr. Speaker, to take my time on this floor,” Jeffries remarked during his remarks.
In the initial part of his speech, Jeffries read from a binder containing stories of individuals potentially losing Medicaid benefits under the Republican plan, specifically from GOP-led states.
“This Congress is about to snatch food from children, veterans, and seniors in order to hand massive tax breaks to billionaires — and balloon the national debt in the process,” he warned.
He condemned the bill as “one big, ugly piece of legislation” that Republicans are forcing upon the American public, claiming it would diminish quality of life.
Republicans are utilizing budget reconciliation to push the bill through — a process that allows the majority party to bypass much of the minority’s input.
As a result, Jeffries and House Democrats have little power to block the legislation outright, leaving stalling tactics as their main form of resistance.
The vote had already been delayed for several hours on Wednesday, with five GOP lawmakers threatening to sink the measure before it could reach the floor.
Some members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus and their allies had indicated they might abstain from voting entirely as a protest against Republican leadership’s compromise.
Nevertheless, both Speaker Johnson and former President Trump reportedly spent considerable time persuading dissenting Republicans — seemingly with some success.
Still, the entire process could drag on for several more hours. Democrats may continue to use procedural maneuvers to slow progress, as they did when the bill narrowly passed the House by a single vote in late May.
Additionally, the legislation is still facing potential pushback from both moderate Republicans and hardline conservatives.
On Wednesday, several conservative lawmakers were still threatening to vote against the procedural motion due to changes made by the Senate — particularly provisions they argue would significantly increase the national deficit.
Despite those concerns, mounting pressure from GOP leadership and Trump appears to have swayed enough Republicans to support moving the bill forward.
The Senate approved its revised version of the bill Tuesday morning, adjusting several House-passed elements, including Medicaid cost-sharing rules, tax provisions, and the debt ceiling increase.
