Despite Republican holdouts and publicly declared misgivings, President Donald Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” passed the U.S. House Thursday, delivering what advocates warn will be devastating blows to Medicaid and food assistance for Texas’ most vulnerable residents. The final vote came down to 218-214, with just two GOP lawmakers breaking rank to vote with Democrats against the measure — Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the package will add $3.3 trillion to the national deficit over the next 10 years due to massive tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations, which aren’t fully covered by the measure’s deep cuts to social safety net spending.
