‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ faces final vote in US House

US President Donald Trump’s spending and tax cuts bill has cleared procedural hurdles in the House of Representatives, with a final vote expected in the coming hours.
The proposed legislation has faced opposition by Democrats and within Trump’s Republican Party, where members have voiced concerns about the trillions it is likely to add to the national debt and cuts to social safety-net programmes such as Medicaid.Trump heads to Iowa to kick off United States’ 250th anniversary, reassure farmers on trade
President Donald Trump travels to Iowa on Thursday to kick off celebrations marking the United States’ 250th anniversary next year, and to tout recent trade and legislative actions to heartland voters who helped propel his return to the White House.

Trump will deliver a campaign-style speech at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, a familiar stop for presidential candidates in the early primary state. Trump won Iowa’s 2024 Republican caucuses by a historically large margin and carried the state by 13 percentage points in the general election.

His latest visit comes before a Friday deadline he set for Congress to pass his sweeping tax and spending legislation, a cornerstone of his second-term domestic agenda that touches everything from immigration to energy policy.

In remarks mixing patriotism and policy, Trump will aim to reassure Iowa’s voters that his administration is defending their interests and delivering tangible results, according to a person with knowledge of the speech.

Trump’s trade policies have whipsawed agricultural communities in Iowa, creating economic uncertainty and testing loyalties. Iowa farmers have been hit hard, especially with China’s retaliatory tariffs slashing soya bean exports and prices.

In a Truth Social post on Tuesday announcing his trip, Trump called Iowa “one of my favorite places in the world”.

“I’ll also tell you some of the GREAT things I’ve already done on Trade, especially as it relates to Farmers. You are going to be very happy with what I say,” Trump said.

At recent Republican town halls in Iowa, tensions flared as farmers and constituents pressed congressional leaders, including Republican Senator Chuck Grassley, to push back against Trump’s retaliatory tariffs.

Some Republicans also worry that deep cuts to the Medicaid health program in their sweeping tax bill will hurt the party’s prospects in the 2026 midterm elections.EU aiming first for trade agreement in principle with US, von der Leyen says
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Thursday that the European Union was aiming first for a trade agreement in principle with the United States by Trump’s tariff deadline of July 9.

“What we are aiming at is an agreement in principle,” she told a news conference after being asked if the EU wanted a brief agreement with the United States ahead of the deadline and then to hash out the details afterwards.

Trump’s 90-day pause in global reciprocal tariffs is set to expire on July 9 and a number of countries in recent days have sought deals with the US president.Republicans defiant amid Jeffries speech
Jeffries has repeatedly acknowledged that he has unlimited time to speak on the House floor in his role as the top Democrat in the chamber.

But it remains unclear how long the delay tactic will persist. Meanwhile, several House Republicans have taken to the social media platform X to ridicule Jeffries and argue it’s only a matter of time before Trump’s tax bill is passed.

“I’ve been doing fine staying awake since 5am Wednesday morning until this guy started talking. Snooze fest!” wrote Representative Mike Collins.

“Not sure if his batteries are running low or if he’s just low-T, but someone needs to hand Discount Dollar Store Obama some caffeine ASAP,” wrote Representative Andy Ogles.