Image source, US 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.

Fact-checking three key claims about Trump's mega-billpublished at 13:12 British Summer Time 3 July

13:12 BST 3 July

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.

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.

James FitzGerald
North America reporter

Image source, Reuters

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."

Image source, Getty Images

The US House passed its version of the bill by the narrowest of margins - one vote in favour.

Two Republicans joined all 212 House Democrats opposed to vote against the bill.

Ohio Rep Warren Davidson and Kentucky’s Thomas Massie voted against the bill because of concerns that it would significantly increase the nation’s debt.

Trump has called for both lawmakers to lose their seats, describing Massie in particular as “grandstander”.

There were some Republican holdouts in the US Senate where two Republicans joined Democrats in voting against opening debate 51-49. They argued for further changes to the legislation.

Soon after his vote against, Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina announced he would not seek re-election in 2026 after Trump threatened to support other candidates.

In a statement, Tillis said independent thinkers and elected officials willing to compromise had become "an endangered species".

He said he primarily opposed the bill because it would “result in tens of billions of dollars in lost funding for North Carolina, including our hospitals and rural communities.”

• Read more: Republican Senator Thom Tillis to leave Congress after clash with Trump

Image source, Getty Images

A majority of Republican lawmakers have openly supported the bill.

But there have been some holdouts, making its passage difficult and contentious as the party has a narrow majority in both the House and the Senate.

Three Republican rebel senators - Maine's Susan Collins, North Carolina's Thom Tillis and Kentucky's Rand Paul - joined Democrats in voting against the bill.

One of them - Tillis - has said he will not run for re-election, after criticising the legislation’s Medicaid cuts as “devastating” for his state of North Carolina.

It cleared the Senate thanks to the last-minute support of Republican Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, who also expressed concern about the bill’s changes to Medicaid - a programme that provides health coverage to vulnerable Americans, including those who are low-income, elderly or disabled.

Murkowski said she “struggled mightily” with its passage.

“My hope is that the House is going to look at this and recognise that we're not there yet,” she told reporters after the vote.

House Republicans have expressed their own reservations about the Senate’s revision to the bill, with some arguing it is not stringent enough.

“That math doesn’t work out,” argued Ralph Norman, a Republican member from South Carolina on Wednesday.

Image source, Getty Images

Democratic Minority Leader of the House Hakeem Jeffries has been speaking on the House floor for more than an hour, outlining opposition to the budget bill. Let's take a quick look now at his party's view on the legislation.

Democrats, who have neither a majority in the House nor Senate, have strongly criticised the bill, particularly on changes to social programmes like Medicaid and food stamps.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that nearly 12 million Americans could lose their health coverage by the end of the next decade as a result of the proposed changes.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called the bill a "reckless, regressive and reprehensible GOP tax scam" and pledged to use the bill against Republicans in next year's Midterm elections.

In the Senate, Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer forced a name change of the bill so it can be no longer officially called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

"This is not a ‘big, beautiful bill’ at all,” Schumer said afterwards. “It is really the ‘big ugly betrayal,’ and the American people know it.”

That's the million-dollar - or four trillion when you consider this bill's size - question right now.

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson will be itching to get the vote under way now he seems to have enough support but his Democratic opponent Hakeem Jeffries is an hour into his speech.

"I plan to take my sweet time," Jeffries just told the House, as the Democrats behind him rose to their feet to give him prolonged applause.

So no sign of him sitting down any time soon.

The main action on the House floor continues to be Democratic Minority Leader of the House, Hakeem Jeffries, who is spelling out what passing this bill will mean for low-income Americans.

He has been reading out the anxious testimonials from people, one woman called Kim and another called Maria, who rely on Medicaid and fear what could be ahead if they lose their state-funded health insurance.

"The implications of this bill are enormous," he says.

Between the occasional rounds of applause from the Democrats sat behind him, there are a few yawns on their weary faces - a reminder that it's past 6am in Washington.

A long night has now turned to early morning in the US Capitol.

Ana Faguy and Brandon Drenon
Washington DC

The US House of Representatives is holding a series of votes to pass Donald Trump’s mega-bill on tax and spending - the signature legislation of his second term.

The votes comes after the US Senate narrowly passed its revisions to the bill earlier this week.

But what are the key things to know about this nearly 1,000 page bill?

It includes increased spending for border security to help achieve Trump’s ambitious deportation targets, and increases spending for the US military and energy production.

It would also extend large tax cuts the president put in place during his first term.

To pay for these new policies, the government would seek to cut healthcare benefits for low-income and disabled people, and slash food assistance programmes for low-income groups.

The proposed cuts could strip as many as about 12 million Americans of their health insurance coverage, according to the Congressional Budget Office, a non-partisan federal agency.

It would also add $3.3tn (£2.4tn) to US national debt, the agency estimates.

• Read more on what's in the bill here

One of the social programmes that stands to be impacted by the bill is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as SNAP or food stamps.

In West Virginia, one of the states with the highest rates of poverty, 16% of the population depends on food stamps to buy groceries.

Lawmakers in the US House of Representatives are currently debating Trump's budget bill ahead of its final vote, which is due to take place in the next few hours.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries is presenting Democrats' opposition to the proposed legislation right now.

He is outlining how cuts to Medicaid will impact Americans. Changes to the healthcare programme, which would add new restrictions and eligibility requirements, are a point of contention for lawmakers in both parties.

Jeffries has repeatedly referred to the budget as a the "big ugly bill" - a reference to Trump's name for the legislation, the "big beautiful bill".

Other Democratic and Republican representatives will also be taking the floor before the vote.

We'll continue to follow the latest developments on this page, so stick with us.

Image source, EPA

The bill, which Trump has referred to as the Big Beautiful Bill, has stoked disputes among Republican lawmakers, who control both chambers of Congress, over social programmes and spending levels.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates the bill would add $3.3tn to federal deficits over the next 10 years and leave millions without health coverage, a forecast that the White House disputes.

Here are the key points in the bill:

• More Medicaid requirements - To finance tax cuts elsewhere, Republicans have added new restrictions and requirements for Medicaid, the healthcare programme relied upon by millions of disabled and low-income Americans
• Food benefits - The Senate bill requires states to contribute more to the programme, which is currently fully funded by the federal government, beginning in 2028
• No tax on overtime or tips - The bill would allow individuals to deduct a certain amount of tip wages and overtime from their taxes

There's even more - you can read about what's included here.

Trump's bill on tax and spending has been criticised by Democrats and a small minority of Republican holdouts.

Its cuts to healthcare programmes that support poor, disabled people and the elderly have been one of the main points of concern.

Some Republican lawmakers have also opposed it on the grounds that it would significantly increase the nation's debt.

Here's a look at how the bill could impact spending and savings over the next 10 years.

Image source, Getty Images

The budget bill is central to Donald Trump’s agenda and includes many of the promises the president has made on the campaign trail, particularly on tax cuts.

For this reason, Trump has pushed for its speedy passage through Congress, and has self-imposed a 4 July deadline on lawmakers to get the bill through.

News of it narrowly passing through the Senate earlier this week was “music to my ears,” Trump told reporters after hearing the news on Tuesday.

"We are on schedule - Let's keep it going, and be done before you and your family go on a July 4th vacation," he wrote on Truth Social afterwards. "To my GOP friends in the House: Stay UNITED, have fun, and Vote 'YAY.'"

Previously, the White House had told Republican US senators in a memo that failure to pass the legislation would be the “ultimate betrayal”, the president has openly criticised Republican lawmakers who have voted against the bill.

Anthony Zurcher
North America correspondent

It has taken into the early morning hours at the US Capitol, but the Republicans in the House of Representatives have started falling into line.

There has been a fair amount of grousing from conservative budget hawks who wanted larger cuts in spending to address the growing US national debt.

In the end, however, these "Freedom Caucus" hardliners are loyal to Donald Trump, and the prospect of delivering a stinging defeat to their president was daunting.

Instead, they – along with almost every Republican in the House – appear poised to deliver the "Big, Beautiful Bill" to the president’s desk in time for a 4 July signing ceremony.

James FitzGerald
North America reporter

US President Donald Trump’s mega-bill on tax and spending could soon become law, with a final vote expected in the coming hours in the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of Congress.

Trump’s bill, which could define his second presidency, has faced an uneasy passage so far.

Several members of his own Republican Party have joined opposition Democrats in criticising the bill for a variety of reasons – including the impact on US national debt, and healthcare.

However, in the past hour, those Republican holdouts flipped – meaning that a key procedural hurdle was passed, setting up the final ballot.

That will be welcome news for the president, who has personally put pressure on rebel Republicans to try to get this sprawling legislation signed off by Friday - when the US celebrates Independence Day.

The ongoing proceedings represent the second gruelling overnight session for Congress members this week, after the bill ground through the upper chamber, or Senate, about 24 hours ago.