According to the New York Times, the final vote for Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill, 218 to 214, was mostly along party lines and came after Speaker Mike Johnson spent a frenzied day and night toiling to quell resistance in his own ranks that threatened until the very end to derail the president’s signature measure. With all but two Republicans in favor and Democrats uniformly opposed, the action cleared the bill for Mr. Trump’s signature, meeting the July 4 deadline he had demanded.
The legislation extends tax cuts enacted in 2017 that had been scheduled to expire at the end of the year, while adding new ones Mr. Trump promised during this campaign, on some tips and overtime pay, at a total cost of $4.5 trillion. It also increases funding for defense and border security and cuts nearly $1 trillion from Medicaid, with more reductions to food assistance for the poor and other government aid. And it phases out clean-energy tax credits passed under former President Joseph R. Biden Jr. that Mr. Trump and conservative Republicans have long decried.
Soon after the vote, Representative David Valadao issued a statement explaining why he voted yes.
“It was not an easy decision for me, but I voted yes on the budget reconciliation bill,” said Congressman Valadao. “Since January when the reconciliation process began, I’ve been a vocal advocate for protecting and preserving Medicaid for the most vulnerable in my district. I know how important the program is for my constituents. Many policy changes were suggested over the past six months that would have devastated healthcare in my district, including changes to the federal match rate for California and per capita caps on the expansion population, and after months of meetings, I was able to prevent these provisions from being included. However, the Senate version of the budget reconciliation bill ultimately made more changes to Medicaid than the House-passed version, and I had several concerns.”
Congressman Valadao continues, “Since they were announced, I made my concerns about the provider tax and state directed payments provisions clear to my colleagues in the House and Senate and the administration. After numerous conversations, an additional $25 billion was added to the newly established Rural Health Transformation Program—which will help to support rural and other at-risk hospitals in my district—bringing the total to $50 billion. I’ve been assured by the administration that it will be structured in a way that benefits our providers and keeps our hospitals and communities running. To be clear, I still have concerns with the implementation of the provider tax and state directed payment provisions of H.R. 1, but I’ve worked and will continue to engage with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to identify specific risks to Valley hospitals and mitigate them.”
“Ultimately, I voted for this bill because it does preserve the Medicaid program for its intended recipients—children, pregnant women, the disabled, and elderly. The bill also includes dozens of other policy provisions that directly benefit CA-22, including blocking the largest tax hike on working families in American history, eliminating taxes on tips and overtime, expanding the Child Tax Credit, enhancing deductions for seniors, and keeping provisions in place that double the standard deduction for over 90% of taxpayers in my district. These are real wins that will put more money back in the pockets of hardworking families throughout the Valley.”
“In addition to critical tax provisions, I was able to secure $1 billion in western water storage and conveyance funding to support critical water infrastructure throughout the district. The bill also authorizes key Farm Bill investments by increasing funding for specialty crop research, expanding crop insurance coverage, providing funding to prevent pollution of drinking water in rural communities, and extending funding for the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). After weeks of meetings, I was able to successfully secure improvements to the IRA tax credit language to support the Central Valley’s clean energy sector. This version of the bill will provide companies with a long transition period to construct renewable facilities, protecting investment in our region.”
“No piece of legislation is perfect, but this bill ultimately reflects the priorities of CA-22—lower taxes, stronger farms, better infrastructure, and a commitment to protecting access to healthcare for Valley residents. I came to Congress to be a voice for our community, and I’ll keep fighting every day to make sure every provision is implemented responsibly to serve the needs of our district. While there’s still more work to do, this bill is a meaningful step forward.”