House Republicans lifted President Donald Trump's $4.5 trillion tax breaks and spending cuts bill to final passage Thursday, overcoming multiple setbacks to approve his signature second-term policy package before a self-imposed Fourth of July deadline.
The tight roll call, 218-214, came at a potentially high political cost, with two Republicans joining all Democrats opposed. GOP leaders worked overnight and the president himself leaned on a handful of skeptics to drop their opposition and send the bill to his desk to become law.
The outcome delivers a milestone for the president and his party, a longshot effort to compile a lengthy list of GOP priorities into what they called his ''one big beautiful bill,'' an 800-plus page package. With Democrats unified in opposition, the bill will become a defining measure of Trump's return to the White House, with the sweep of Republican control of Congress.
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Top American general for the Middle East visited the US air base attacked by Iranian missiles
Gen. Erik Kurilla stopped at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar during a four-day Middle East tour to visit the service members who were involved in manning Patriot missile batteries to defend the base.
Al Udeid was targeted in late June by more than a dozen Iranian ballistic missiles after the U.S. launched a secret mission involving B-2 stealth bombers to target Iran's nuclear enrichment facilities.
The general's multi-country tour included visits to Israel, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, where met with Yemeni military officials. He also met with the crew of the guided missile destroyer USS Oscar Austin.