WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� President Donald Trump signed his into law Friday in front of Fourth of July picnickers after his cajoling produced almost unanimous Republican support in Congress for the domestic priority that could cement his second-term legacy.
Flanked by Republican legislators and members of his Cabinet, Trump signed the multitrillion-dollar legislation at a desk on the White House driveway, then banged down a gavel gifted to him by House Speaker Mike Johnson that was used during Thursday.
Against odds that at times seemed improbable, Trump achieved his goal of celebrating a historic 鈥� and divisive 鈥� legislative victory in time for the nation's birthday, which also was his self-imposed deadline for Congress to send the legislation to his desk. Fighter jets and stealth bombers streaked through the sky over the annual White House Fourth of July picnic.
鈥淎merica's winning, winning, winning like never before,鈥� Trump said, noting last month's against Iran's nuclear program, which he said the flyover was meant to honor. 鈥淧romises made, promises kept, and we've kept them.鈥�
The White House was hung with red, white and blue bunting for the Independence Day festivities. The U.S. Marine Band played patriotic marches 鈥� and, in a typical Trumpian touch, tunes by 1980s pop icons Chaka Khan and Huey Lewis. There were three separate flyovers.
Trump spoke for a relatively brief 22 minutes before signing the bill, but was clearly energized as the legislation's passage topped a recent winning streak for his administration. That included the Iran campaign and a series of .
After dark, chants of 鈥淯SA, USA鈥� rose from the picnic crowd on the South Lawn when Trump and the first lady, Melania, appeared on the Truman Balcony to watch the fireworks. They danced to 鈥淵.M.C.A.鈥� and waved goodbye to the crowd before they left for their home in New Jersey.
The budget legislation is the president's highest-profile win yet. It includes key campaign pledges like no tax on tips or Social Security income. Trump, who spent an unusual amount of time thanking individual Republican lawmakers who shepherded the measure through Congress, contended 鈥渙ur country is going to be a rocket ship, economically,鈥� because of the legislation.
Big cuts to Medicaid and food stamps
Critics assailed the package as a giveaway to the rich that will rob millions more lower-income people of their health insurance, food assistance and financial stability.
鈥淭oday, Donald Trump signed into law the worst job-killing bill in American history. It will rip health care from 17 million workers to pay for massive tax giveaways to the wealthy and big corporations, amounting to the country鈥檚 largest money grab from the working class to the ultra-rich,鈥� AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler said in a statement. 鈥淓very member of Congress who voted for this devastating bill picked the pockets of working people to hand billionaires a $5 trillion gift.鈥�
The legislation extends Trump鈥檚 2017 multitrillion-dollar tax cuts and cuts Medicaid and food stamps by $1.2 trillion. It provides for a massive increase in immigration enforcement. Congress鈥� nonpartisan scorekeeper projects that nearly 12 million more people will lose health insurance under the law.
The legislation passed the House on a largely party-line vote Thursday, culminating a monthslong push by the GOP to cram most of its legislative priorities into a single budget bill that could be enacted without Senate Democrats being able to block it indefinitely by filibustering.
It passed by a single vote in the Senate, where North Carolina Republican Thom Tillis announced he would not run for reelection after incurring Trump鈥檚 wrath in opposing it. Vance had to cast the tie-breaking vote.
In the House, where two Republicans voted against it, one, conservative maverick Tom Massie of Kentucky, has also become a target of Trump鈥檚 well-funded political operation. No Democrats voted for the bill.
The legislation amounts to a repudiation of the agendas of the past two Democratic presidents, Barack Obama and Joe Biden, in rolling back Obama鈥檚 Medicaid expansion under his signature health law and Biden鈥檚 tax credits for renewable energy.
The estimates the package will add over the decade and 11.8 million more people will go without health coverage.
Democrats vow to make bill a midterm issue
Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin on Friday called the bill 鈥渄evastating鈥� and said in a statement that Trump鈥檚 signature on the legislation 鈥渟ealed the fate of the Republican Party, cementing them as the party for billionaires and special interests 鈥� not working families.鈥�
He predicted Republicans would lose their majority in Congress over it. 鈥淭his was a full betrayal of the American people,鈥� Martin said.
Trump complained Friday about Democrats opposing the bill, 鈥渁nd we knew that because their hatred of either the country or me or both is so great they didn't vote at all and it's terrible.鈥�
He said their 鈥渟tandard line鈥� is to say Republican legislation is 鈥渄angerous鈥� or 鈥渆verybody's going to die鈥� and 鈥渨e can't let them get away with it.鈥� With his bill, Trump said, 鈥渋t's actually just the opposite, everybody's going to live.鈥�
鈥淎nd I just want you to know, if you see anything negative put out by Democrats, it's all a con job,鈥� Trump said, defending a package that now is law.
Speaking in Iowa on Thursday night, Trump said Democrats 鈥渉ate Trump 鈥� but I hate them, too.鈥�
The package is certain to be a flashpoint in next year's midterm elections, and Democrats are making ambitious plans for rallies, voter registration drives, attack ads, bus tours and even a multiday vigil, all intended to highlight the most controversial elements.
Upon his return to Washington early Friday, Trump described the package as 鈥渧ery popular,鈥� though polling suggests that public opinion is mixed at best.
For example, a Washington Post/Ipsos poll found that majorities of U.S. adults support increasing the annual child tax credit and eliminating taxes on earnings from tips, and about half support work requirements for some adults who receive Medicaid.
But the poll found majorities oppose reducing federal funding for food assistance to low-income families and spending about $45 billion to build and maintain migrant detention centers. About 60% said it was 鈥渦nacceptable鈥� that the bill is expected to increase the $36 trillion U.S. debt by more than $3 trillion over the next decade.
Darlene Superville And Nicholas Riccardi, The Associated Press
