The One Big Beautiful Bill Act prevents tax rates from jumping and the standard deduction from being slashed in half.
In the early morning hours on Thursday, the House of Representatives passed a reconciliation bill dubbed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, legislation championed by President Trump, by a vote of 215-214, with one member voting “present.”
The most high-profile portion of the legislation is the extension of the 2017 tax cuts signed into law by Trump during his first term. NBC News reports the extension of these tax cuts maintains current lower tax rates and a number of tax provisions and “affects Americans in all income tax brackets.”
Additionally, the bill ends taxes on tips made by workers and on overtime pay, establishes a tax credit for interest payments on car loans and a temporary increase in the child tax credit.
The vote was nearly party-line, with all Democrats voting against the bill and only two Republicans—Rep Thomas Massie from Kentucky and Rep Warren Davidson from Ohio—joining them.
Those voting against the bill included all Democratic members of Pennsylvania’s House delegation, many of whom either released a statement or used social media to express disapproval of the bill.
Rep. Brendan Boyle spoke on the House floor during debate of the bill, saying the bill containing tax cuts for all Americans “will raise costs for American families” and accuses Republicans of only serving “their billionaire donors.”
In a statement, Rep Madeleine Dean claimed the House passed legislation that “sacrifices critical programs” and characterized tax cuts impacting all tax brackets as “tax breaks to the wealthiest.”
Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon, representing Pennsylvania’s Fifth Congressional District, posted a video on X after the Rules Committee approved the bill and before it went to the House floor for final passage. In the video, Scanlon called the bill a “horrible, big, bad, billionaires bill” and said her job was to “expose just how bad the bill was.”
On Instagram, Rep Chrissy Houlahan (PA-6) said she “grieve[d] for us, the American people”, saying it was a “sad day” in which Americans will lose “reproductive rights” and “physical safety” but vowed to “win the ultimate fight.”
Rep Summer Lee, who represents the state’s Twelfth Congressional District based in downtown Pittsburgh, called the reconciliation bill “dangerous” that “forces families to choose between taking their kids to the doctor or feeding them.” Lee also promised to “continue organizing” and “holding every policymaker accountable until the needs of working people are prioritized over profits.”
Before the final vote, Rep Chris Deluzio (PA-17) released a video on X saying he will be voting against it, saying it’s a “Republican tax scam bill” with tax breaks to “mega corporations” at the expense of health care spending and food stamps.
According to the Tax Policy Center, the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act lowered tax rates for five of the eight tax brackets, including three of the four lowest brackets. Additionally, the Tax Foundation reported that if the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act expired at the end of this year, the standard deduction, used by 90% of federal tax filers, would be cut in half, leading to millions of taxpayers potentially paying higher taxes regardless of rate changes.
