House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told Newsmax on Thursday the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that Congress sent to President Donald Trump to sign into law is "the most conservative legislation of our lifetime."
The House passed the bill Thursday by a 218-214 vote, with just two Republicans – Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania – joining all Democrats in opposition. The vote occurred after a contentious two days of debate without any changes to the Senate's amended version, which needed a tiebreaking vote by Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday to keep the bill afloat.
"It was dicey, honestly, along the way, but I never did take my eye off that prize," Johnson told Newsmax host Rob Finnerty. "And I believed that this group could deliver this big agenda. The one, big, beautiful bill. I mean, really, this is about 90% of the America First agenda all lobbed into one giant piece of legislation. We wanted to go big. We wanted to go early. We did it, I think, in probably record time, certainly for a piece of legislation this large and comprehensive and complex.
"But we got it delivered. You know why? Because, Rob, I believe in my colleagues. The American people have sent some courageous patriotic Republicans to Congress. They all believe deeply in their heart and that America First agenda. And they want to put America first again. This legislation is arguably the most conservative legislation of our lifetime, and we got it done."
Johnson said he wasn't surprised every Democrat in the House and Senate opposed the legislation, which makes Trump's 2017 tax cuts permanent, with temporary new tax breaks for overtime pay, tips, and an increased standard deduction for seniors. It also boosts funding for defense, immigration enforcement, and border security while making modest reforms to social safety-net programs such as Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
"Look, this is not your father's Democratic Party," Johnson said. "They've gone far woke, progressive left, and they don't seem to be able to recognize they've got to turn and come back to the center. They're going further and further left. You see that with candidates that are emerging around the country and some of the actions and antics that they've done on the House floor, as they did today.
"They don't seem to recognize that they're committing political suicide for their party. Meanwhile, Republicans are not into pageantry or performance. We are delivering results, and that's what we did today."
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Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.