Summary

  • Donald Trump's huge budget bill is heading for a final vote in the US House of Representatives - but is delayed while a Democrat-led debate continues

  • Democratic Minority House Leader Hakeem Jeffries has been speaking for more than seven hours, and the "magic minute" means there's no limit for how long he can speak

  • The sprawling bill is critical to President Trump's agenda and has sparked intense debate. Here's a look at what's in it

  • The vote is expected to begin after Jeffries remarks are finished, with Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, saying he has the votes to pass the bill

  • Trump wants what he calls the "big beautiful bill" passed by Friday, but it's been held up in Congress over concerns about the impact on national debt and healthcare

Live Reporting

Edited by Caitlin Wilson in Washington DC and Brandon Livesay in New York

  1. Johnson tells the BBC that House will deliver Trump's bill before deadline

    Brandon Drenon
    Reporting from the US Capitol

    I just spoke with House Speaker Mike Johnson, the man in charge of delivering Trump's bill to his desk in less than 24 hours.

    A few days ago, the task of meeting the 4 July deadline seemed like somewhat of a tall order. Now, Johnson thinks he will deliver ahead of schedule.

    "We're going to beat (the deadline) by a day," Johnson says with confidence, just outside the House floor.

    When I ask him the importance of meeting the deadline, which other Republican lawmakers have described as "rushed" and "arbitrary", Johnson tells me: "Because what more appropriate a time to pass the big, beautiful bill for America than on Independence Day?

    "I talked to the president about an hour ago about a signing ceremony and they're working on that. We'll do that on July 4, potentially, maybe right before the B-2s fly," he says.

    "I mean you just can't script this any better."

  2. After 27 hours, exhaustion on Capitol Hill

    The House of Representatives has now been in session for around 27 hours straight at the Capitol - and the long hours are clearly starting to take their toll on lawmakers, staff and the gathered press.

    A visibly tired Republican Representative Tim Burchett leans against a wall in the Capitol for a short restReuters

    A visibly tired Republican Representative Tim Burchett leans against a wall in the Capitol for a short rest

    Republican Representative French Hill (L) and a staffer carry in an order of take away for voting sustenanceReuters

    Republican Representative French Hill (L) and a staffer carry in an order of take away for voting sustenance

    Congressional reporters rest and work sitting on the floor in a Capitol corridorGetty Images

    Congressional reporters rest and work sitting on the floor in a Capitol corridor

    Democratic Representative Jimmy Gomez steals a quiet moment on the Capitol steps after spending all night at workGetty Images

    Democratic Representative Jimmy Gomez steals a quiet moment on the Capitol steps after spending all night at work

  3. Hakeem Jeffries has been speaking for seven hours
    Breaking

    House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has been speaking for seven hours on the House floor.

    He could hypothetically keep giving his speech for as long as he wants, and said previously that "I'm planning to take my sweet time".

    He's using what's known as the "magic minute", a privilege offered to the House speaker, majority and minority leaders that allows them to deliver speeches for as long as they want. Others in the House are bound to a one-minute time limit to keep debates moving.

    Nancy Pelosi spoke for eight hours and seven minutes in 2018, and Kevin McCarthy spoke for eight hours and 32 minutes in 2021 - the longest on record.

    Hakeem JeffriesUS House of Representatives TV

  4. A high-stakes moment with a bagel backdrop

    Brandon Drenon
    Reporting from Capitol Hill

    House Speaker Mike Johnson seated in a side room near the House floor at the US CapitolBBC News/Brandon Drenon

    House Speaker Mike Johnson seated in a side room near the House floor at the US Capitol

    I've been at the US Capitol every day since Monday, and this is my first time seeing Speaker Mike Johnson, the most powerful Republican in the House, lounged in a chair before a giant table of bagels.

    To be fair, the House of Representatives was only called to the scene on Wednesday after the bill cleared the Senate a day earlier. But yesterday Johnson was mostly out of sight, attending one closed-door meeting after the other, racing against the clock to persuade his reluctant few colleagues to support Trump's bill by the president's requested deadline.

    Johnson's decision to make himself plainly visible to the press and relaxed demeanour suggests that he's feeling good about his chances to deliver on his prediction earlier a few hours before dawn.

    "We will meet our July 4 deadline, which everybody mocked when I said it," Johnson told reporters around 01:30 EST on Thursday.

    The tension of the high-stakes moment to deliver on Trump's signature legislation appears to be softening, bagels and cream cheese aside.

  5. New to this story? Here's what going on in 100 words

    American politicians in the House of Representatives are tied up in a debate that began yesterday, carrying on overnight.

    The debate is on what Donald Trump calls the "big beautiful bill" - a proposed budget that is close to 1,000 pages long.

    It carries all sorts of changes including tax cuts for corporations and changes to healthcare (you can find more details here).

    When the debate wraps up, there's a final vote, which Republicans believe will pass the bill.

    After that, Trump signs it into law.

    The bill contains much of the president's signature policies, and he's keen to sign it.

    speaker mike johnsonReuters

    House Speaker Mike Johnson says Republicans have the votes to pass the bill

  6. 'President Trump is waiting with his pen', says House Speaker Johnson

    Mike Johnson wearing a dark suit and red tieEPA

    As Jeffries continues to speak, we've heard from House Speaker Mike Johnson, who says the budget bill will be delivered today.

    "The time is now! President Trump is waiting with his pen," he says in a post on X.

    "Today, we will deliver the One Big Beautiful Bill to the President’s desk - and the American people will FINALLY get the relief they demand and deserve."

    Speaking a little earlier to US media, Johnson adds that Republicans are "excited to get this done".

    "If Hakeem would stop talking, we’ll get the job done for the American people. It takes a lot longer to build a lie than to tell the truth, so he’s really spinning a long tale in there," Johnson says.

    Jeffries has been addressing the House for a little more than six hours.

  7. Republicans optimistic about meeting Trump's 4 July deadline

    Brandon Drenon
    Reporting from the US Capitol

    House Republicans’ sentiment has been shifting since they arrived at the Capitol on Wednesday, called back to Washington from all corners of the country to get Trump’s "big, beautiful" bill over the line.

    There has been hope and despair, determination and disappointment, but after clearing a key procedural vote earlier this morning, they think things are beginning "to look good".

    "The president wanted to sign the bill on the Fourth of July, and I think that opportunity is going to be available to him," Derek Schmidt, a Republican congressman from Kansas, tells me.

    Some of his colleagues had been withholding their support of the bill over concerns of cuts to social programmes like health care and food assistance.

    But after a massive pressure campaign that included around-the-clock meetings at the White House yesterday with Trump, most sceptics appear to have been converted.

    "I'm feeling optimistic at the moment that folks have come to the conclusion that the country is better off with this change than without it," Schmidt says.

    The bill's passage is still not a guarantee. Republicans can only afford to lose three votes, and a few have been non-committal about whether they'd support the bill when it hits the floor.

  8. BBC Verify

    How much could the US deficit rise?

    By Jake Horton

    The White House has said the bill "reduces deficits by over $2 trillion" - but senior Democrats have insisted it would actually add trillions.

    BBC Verify has examined various independent studies about the bill's impact and interviewed six tax experts who all agreed that it would increase the national deficit.

    The deficit is what happens when the US government spends more than it collects through taxes and other forms of revenue. Larger deficits and a bigger debt can theoretically result in higher interest rates - which can ultimately make things like housing and cars less affordable.

    The current version of the bill is estimated to add about $3.3tn (£2.4tn) to the US deficit over the next 10 years, despite an initial economic boost, according to estimates from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) - the government agency which provides independent analysis of spending.

    An analysis from the Tax Foundation think tank concluded that the bill "would increase economic output but worsen deficits".

    A BBC graphic showing the growth of the US budget deficit. The graph shows it growing every year until 2034, when it is expected to reach $3.25

  9. Jeffries enters fifth hour of his 'magic minute'

    Hakeem Jeffries calls out Republicans ahead of final bill vote

    Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries has been speaking for more than five hours now, using his "magic minute".

    Ordinarily, representatives in the House must adhere to a strict time limit on their speeches, but the "magic minute" is a tool available to party leaders to speak for an unlimited time.

    He's repeatedly told his colleagues that he plans to "take my sweet time" on the floor.

    The longest ever "magic minute" is 8 hours and 32 minutes, which was by former Speaker Kevin McCarthy back in 2021.

  10. Trump praises a 'great night'

    Bernd Debusmann Jr
    Reporting from the White House

    We've just heard from President Trump, who has taken to Truth Social to praise the progress made overnight on advancing his "Big, Beautiful" bill and taking it close to a vote.

    "What a great night it was," he writes. "One of the most consequential bills ever."

    Overnight, some Republican hold-outs who had opposed the bill for a variety of reasons "flipped", allowing the House to pass a key procedural hurdle that has set the stage for the final ballot.

    "The USA is the HOTTEST country in the world, by far," Trump adds in his post.

    This phrase is used extremely frequently - multiple times a week - by Trump as he touts what his administration sees as success - most frequently with regards to the economy and foreign investment, but also on a wide variety of other policy topics.

  11. 'We won't roll over,' Democrat says, as signs of fatigue begin to show

    Brandon Drenon
    Reporting from Washington DC

    A close up of Troy CarterGetty Images

    Democrat Troy Carter told me: "We're not going to quit"

    As we’ve been reporting, House Representatives have been at the Capitol for over 24 hours, and the early signs of fatigue are beginning to show.

    But for the Democrats, whose backs are against the wall as the bill appears more and more likely to become law, giving up is not an option.

    I ran into Rep Troy Carter from Louisiana just outside the House floor. He stopped to speak with me, pausing to lean against the railing of a set of stairs nearby.

    “We’re not going to quit. We’re not going to roll over,” Carter says in a raspy, worn voice.

    “We took a loss today,” he says, referring to the procedural vote that came in the wee hours of the morning and cleared the way for an eventual vote on the actual bill.

    “The American people took a loss today, but we will pause for a fraction of a second, and then we’ll continue to battle.”

    When asked on the likelihood that enough Republicans side with Democrats and vote against the bill – the only way Democrats could stop this – he seems to suggest not.

    “Maybe that was the case before yesterday, when the president literally spent the whole day having one-on-ones, two-on-ones, having brow-beating meetings with members,” he says.

  12. Trump's mega-bill includes promise of 'no tax on tips' - how would it work?

    Donald Trump promised repeatedly on the campaign trail that he would scrap taxes on tips.

    The sprawling budget bill before the House right now aims to deliver on that promise and others. But how would a no tax on tips work in practice?

    The legislation essentially creates a new tax deduction for tipped workers that eliminates what they owe in federal income tax. They will still have to pay state and local income tax, as well as payroll tax.

    In the latest version of the bill, which was revised in the Senate, there is a limit of $25,000 (£18,000) on those deductions.

    The tax cut is also phased out for those whose income is above $150,000, or couples whose income is above $300,000.

    It is also not a permanent change. The tax cut only applies until 2028, meaning it could be restricted or abolished in the future unless Congress votes to extend it.

    A report from the White House's Council of Economic Advisors says that the tax cut would increase a tipped worker's average take-home pay by around $1,600 a year.

    Over four million Americans work in tipped jobs, according to 2023 numbers. But not all will benefit. A report by the Yale Budget Lab notes that a third of those workers already don't pay federal income tax because their earnings are too low.

  13. Border security and defence spending central to budget bill

    Trump's budget bill includes increased spending in two areas central to the president's agenda - border security and defence.

    The costs incurred will be offset, to a degree, by cuts to healthcare and food-support programmes, which has been a main point of contention for lawmakers in both parties.

    Border security has been one of Trump's central priorities, and his budget includes an estimated $129bn (£94.5bn) worth of funding for his policies over the next 10 years.

    Trump has talked tough on immigration since returning to office and his administration has expanded military bases near the US-Mexico border in order to deploy troops to detain migrants.

    Last month, the Supreme Court opened the door for the Trump administration to no longer grant automatic citizenship to everyone born on American soil, and to resume deportations of migrants to countries other than their homeland.

    Trump's budget also prioritises defence, allocating roughly $150bn over the next decade.

    The president has urged Nato members to increase their own defence spending, with the defence bloc's leaders agreeing last month to ramp up spending to 5% of their countries' economic output by 2035.

  14. When will we hear from Donald Trump?

    Bernd Debusmann Jr
    Reporting from the White House

    Exterior of the White HouseBernd Debusmann Jr/BBC News

    Things are abnormally quiet at the White House. Many of the reporters who are normally here are on Capitol Hill - which for the moment is very much the centre of gravity in Washington DC.

    As we head to a vote on the House floor this morning, we've still not heard from President Trump, on camera or on Truth Social. Behind the scenes, he's likely been following the action and working the phones, which White House officials said ate of much of his day yesterday as well.

    At 12:45 local time (16:45 BST), he's scheduled to meet with Edan Alexander, a dual US-Israeli citizen who was held captive in Gaza for 19 months before being released in May in a deal brokered by Trump.

    Later on, he's planning on flying to Des Moines for the Iowa State Fair, for a "Salute to America" celebration in the evening.

    He's almost certainly going to discuss the bill - particularly if it's been signed by then.

    If that happens, it's still unclear when he will sign it.

    Tomorrow he'll be attending a picnic for military families and an Independence Day celebration, which, the White House hopes, will also be a celebration of the bill being signed into law by the President's self-imposed deadline.

  15. US job market shows strength - but cracks are showing

    Michelle Fleury
    World News Correspondent

    The US added 147,000 jobs in June - a better result than many expected, suggesting the job market is still holding up. The unemployment rate dipped slightly to 4.1%, and figures for April and May were quietly revised upwards by 16,000.

    But dig a little deeper, and there are signs of strain. Most of June’s job growth came from just two areas - government and healthcare - raising concerns that the broader private sector is starting to stall.

    Large-scale layoffs are still rare, but companies seem to be playing it safe. Some are choosing not to replace staff who leave, while others are putting hiring plans on hold.

    The numbers paint a picture of an economy that's resilient - but perhaps losing some steam. And that could give the US Federal Reserve something to think about as it weighs up its next move on interest rates.

  16. Democrats are increasingly leaning on delay tactics

    Brandon Drenon
    Reporting from Capitol Hill

    The US Capitol buildingGetty Images

    I've just arrived to the US Capitol for my fourth consecutive day covering the difficult plight of what Trump calls the “big beautiful bill”.

    House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries is continuing his “magic minute” speech, which in fact has now well exceeded 180 minutes.

    The delay tactic is becoming an increasingly common move for Democrats who, without a majority in the House or Senate, have very few options to resist Trump’s agenda.

    Think Al Green standing up and waving his walking stick at Trump in the middle of the president’s joint congressional address, or Corey Booker’s record-breaking 25-hour protest speech on the other side of the Capitol in April.

    Jeffries’ speech is Democrats’ final move before the bill likely becomes law.

    As he speaks – adding to the 24-plus hours he and his colleagues have been on the Hill – a field of tired eyes sits behind him.

    But when he delivers the right line, they rise to their feet.

    “We will continue to fight for you,” Jeffries says emphatically, which draws an applause and gets lawmakers to stand.

    Let’s see how long they can keep this up.

  17. Jeffries stalls vote with marathon speech

    Hakeem JeffriesUS House

    Democratic Minority Leader of the House Hakeem Jeffries is still addressing fellow lawmakers. He has been speaking for well over three hours, and will likely be up for more.

    A bulk of his time at the podium has been dedicated to reading letters from Americans in each state who rely on Medicaid for health coverage.

    The programme has been a point of contention for Democrats and a few Republicans who worry the bill will result in millions losing their health care.

    “This is a question for so many individuals of life and death," Jeffries has warned, calling the legislation "the one big ugly Republican bill."

    The House minority leader is using a rule known as the "magic minute", which gives the speaker, minority and majority leaders unlimited time to deliver a speech.

  18. BBC Verify

    Fact-checking three key claims about Trump's mega-bill

    Donald Trump speaking at a lectern bearing the seal of the president of the United States. He is wearing a dark suit and red tie while a small crowd is standing behind him.

    By Jake Horton

    As US President Donald Trump's mega-bill heads to a final vote, we've published a fact-check looking at claims made about the bill's possible impact in three key areas - US public finances, medical cover and taxes.

    We told you earlier that BBC Verify examined various independent analyses and interviewed six tax experts who all agree the bill will increase the national deficit - despite the White House saying otherwise.

    President Trump has also said Medicaid - a US government-run healthcare scheme - would be "left alone" in the bill and if it didn't pass taxes "will go up by 68%".

    However, various analyses show there will be significant reductions to Medicaid under the bill.

    And although it's true some US taxes would go up this year if Trump's bill wasn't passed, the rise is nowhere near 68%.

    You can read our full piece here, or check out the BBC Verify's live page for a rundown of how we work throughout the day.

  19. This bill would be a huge win for Trump's team if it passes

    Cai Pigliucci
    North America reporter

    House Speaker Mike Johnson says he has the votes.

    It can’t be overstated how big of a win this would be not only for Trump, but for Johnson’s leadership in the House - if it passes.

    Trump’s arm twisting with Republican holdouts appears to have worked yet again. It comes after a month of what Trump’s team will see as major wins at home and abroad, including at the Supreme Court and in the Middle East with a ceasefire between Iran and Israel.

    At the same time, it could be costly for Republicans down the line, with midterms just around the corner - especially the vulnerable ones.

    Republicans are banking on Trump’s support to get them through that, but remains to be seen if that will work this time. They lost the House in 2018 midterms in part because of the threat of repealing the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

    If the bill passes, you can expect attack adverts to start appearing from Democrats claiming this time Republicans have rolled back health care for millions.

  20. Unclear how long Jeffries will speak - but he could be gearing up for long-haul

    James FitzGerald
    North America reporter

    A file photo of Hakeem JeffriesReuters

    We don't know how long the Democratic House minority leader will speak for on the floor before the bill proceeds to a final vote.

    The person doing his job can hypothetically speak for a limitless time.

    And although we've had no specific indication that Jeffries plans to do so, there is a precedent of his predecessors speaking for hours on end.

    They have done so under the auspices of what is known as the "magic minute".

    Nancy Pelosi spoke for more than eight hours in 2018, and Kevin McCarthy did the same in 2021 - in a record-breaking feat.

    At one point during his ongoing speech, Jeffries said: "I'm planning to take my sweet time."