Six Hours for Procedural Vote... Republican Dissenters and Abstainers Eventually Change Their Minds
Trump Spends All Day Persuading Rebels... Strong Pressure Late at Night: "This Will Cost You Your Vote"
After passing the Senate, President Donald Trump's flagship "tax cut bill" has also cleared its first hurdle in the House of Representatives, though not without difficulty.
According to AP Yonhap News and the political magazine Politico on July 3 (local time), the U.S. House of Representatives held a "procedural vote" on what has been dubbed "one big, beautiful bill," passing it with 219 votes in favor and 213 against.
A procedural vote determines whether a proposed bill will proceed to the next steps, such as debate and a final vote.
The vote began on the night of July 2 but ended around 3:30 a.m. on July 3, after six hours of persuasion efforts within the Republican Party to quell dissenting votes.
House Speaker Mike Johnson stated that the final vote to pass the bill would take place around 8 a.m. that day.
During the procedural vote, the Republican Party faced significant internal strife over the bill, which reflects President Trump's key policy priorities, including tax cuts, welfare reductions, and stricter controls on illegal immigration.
Controversy arose because the bill offers large-scale tax cuts for the wealthy while reducing medical assistance and food support for the poor and vulnerable. At one point, 5 out of 220 Republican House members voted against the bill, and 8 abstained, creating a tense standoff.
Representative Thomas Massie (Republican, Kentucky) drew attention by wearing a pin shaped like a "debt clock" scoreboard on his lapel, highlighting concerns about the U.S. government's excessive fiscal deficit.
However, according to Politico, after intensive persuasion efforts by President Trump and Speaker Johnson, 4 out of the 5 dissenting members switched to support the bill, and all those who had withheld their votes participated in the vote.
All Democratic members voted against the bill.
The New York Times (NYT) reported that President Trump, aiming to complete all legislative procedures and secure his signature on the bill by July 4, U.S. Independence Day, summoned Republican lawmakers to the White House or called them directly to pressure them to vote in favor.
A White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that President Trump often uses a particular phrase in such situations: "Don't hand victory to the Democrats. Don't let them play you."
When the procedural vote was delayed late into the previous night, President Trump posted on social media platform Truth Social, "What are Republicans waiting for? What are they trying to prove? MAGA is not happy, and this will cost you your vote."
In another post, he said, "For Republicans, this should be a simple 'yes' vote. It's ridiculous."
The NYT pointed out, "Trump can be incredibly vindictive," and added, "Republicans always live in fear of being struck by the lightning he hurls on social media."
However, the NYT also noted that, having spent his entire life in hospitality and the entertainment industry, President Trump is also adept at a strategy of balancing toughness with gestures of consideration and praise toward opponents.
For example, members of the hardline conservative House Freedom Caucus, who had opposed the tax cut bill, changed their stance after visiting the White House the previous afternoon, with some posting on social media that they had received souvenirs signed by President Trump.
Senator Lindsey Graham (Republican, South Carolina), who played golf with President Trump before the Senate passed the tax cut bill on July 1, said, "He likes to treat people," and recounted that President Trump offered to pick out a shirt for him at the clubhouse pro shop.
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