Trump signs sweeping tax and spending bill into law
US President Donald Trump has signed his landmark policy bill into law, a day after it was narrowly passed by Congress.
The signing event at the White House on Friday afternoon enacts key parts of the Trump agenda including tax cuts, spending boosts for defence and the immigration crackdown.
There was a celebratory atmosphere at the White House as Trump signed the bill ahead of Independence Day fireworks and a military picnic attended by the pilots who recently flew into Iran to strike three nuclear sites.
Trump told supporters it will unleash economic growth, but he must now convince sceptical Americans as polling suggests many disapprove of parts of the bill.
Several members of his own Republican party were opposed because of the impact on rising US debt and Democrats warned the bill would reward the wealthy and punish the poor.
The 870-page package includes:
- extending 2017 tax cuts of Trump’s first term
- steep cuts to Medicaid spending, the state-provided healthcare scheme for those on low incomes and the disabled
- new tax breaks on tipped income, overtime and Social Security
- a budget increase of $150bn for defence
- a reduction in Biden-era clean energy tax credits
- $100bn to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
Moments before the bill signing, there was a fly-by of a pair B-2 bombers – the same kind of aircraft that participated in the Iran operation – flanked by highly advanced F-35 and F-22 fighter aircraft.
In a speech from the White House balcony facing the South Lawn, Trump thanked Republican lawmakers who helped usher the bill to his desk. He touted the tax cuts in the bill, brushing aside criticism of the impact to social programmes such as food assistance and Medicaid.
“The largest spending cut, and yet, you won’t even notice it,” he said of the bill. “The people are happy.”
Additionally, Trump praised additional resources being given to border and immigration enforcement and an end to taxes on tips, overtime and social security for senior citizens, which he says the bill will fulfil.
The celebratory mood follows days of tense negotiations with Republican rebels in Congress and days of cajoling on Capitol Hill, sometimes by the president himself.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries delayed the final vote in the lower chamber of Congress on Thursday by speaking for nearly nine hours.
He called the bill an “extraordinary assault on the healthcare of the American people” and quoted testimony from individuals anxious about its impact.
But his marathon speech only postponed the inevitable. As soon as he sat down, the House moved to a vote.
