【Text by Observers Network, Qi Qian】According to a report by CNN, on the morning of July 3 local time, the "Big and Beautiful" tax and spending bill, which was strongly promoted by the Trump administration, passed a procedural vote and officially entered the House of Representatives for voting.

The final vote count was 219 votes in favor and 213 votes against. Only one Republican voted against: Brian Fitzpatrick.

Previously, the "Big and Beautiful" bill faced obstacles in the House of Representatives. At around midnight on July 3, the procedural vote result for the "Big and Beautiful" bill in the House of Representatives was once at 207 votes in favor and 217 votes against, with a deadlock. Five Republicans had switched sides and voted against.

According to reports from NBC and The Hill, seeing this situation, House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, adopted a delaying tactic, announced an indefinite postponement of the vote, and forced the defectors to change their minds. However, when Johnson tried to talk to the Republican members one-on-one, the Republicans found that Fitzpatrick had already left the chamber and did not answer his phone.

Photo of the only Republican congressman who cast a vote against, Brian Fitzpatrick

The report said that on the evening of February 2, Pennsylvania Republican congressman Brian Fitzpatrick cast a "surprising" vote against the bill. Subsequently, some of his Republican colleagues rushed to find him, trying to convince him to change his stance.

But after casting his vote, Fitzpatrick immediately rushed out of the chamber, and no one could find him again.

When an NBC reporter informed Republican congressman Dusty Johnson that Fitzpatrick seemed to have run away, Dusty replied, "That's smart." It is reported that Dusty later tried to call Fitzpatrick by phone, but so far has been unsuccessful.

According to public information, Fitzpatrick is a centrist from a swing district. His opposition stemmed both from the Medicaid cuts in the Senate version of the "Big and Beautiful" bill and from broader concerns about spending.

Previously, the U.S. Senate passed the "Big and Beautiful" bill with a narrow margin of 51 votes in favor and 50 votes against. Because it had significant modifications compared to the version previously passed by the House of Representatives, the bill needed to be passed again by the House of Representatives before it could be submitted to the President for signing into law.

At 9:30 p.m. on the evening of February 2, the House of Representatives held multiple rounds of procedural votes on the "Big and Beautiful" bill.

It is introduced that this was a key threshold for the bill to enter the formal debate and voting process. If all procedural votes were passed, the House of Representatives would proceed to the formal debate and voting process on the bill. According to the current House rules, if more than three Republican members vote against it, the bill will not enter the formal debate and voting stage.

However, at around 3 a.m. on July 3, the procedural vote results for the "Big and Beautiful" bill in the House of Representatives were once at 207 votes in favor and 217 votes against, with a deadlock. Five Republicans had switched sides and voted against, and eight other Republicans had not yet voted.

On the other hand, President Trump was very upset. He posted three messages on the "Truth Social" platform. Before the vote, he called on Republicans to "defeat Democrats tonight" and "Make America Great Again"; when the vote reached a deadlock, he urged Republicans to vote as soon as possible and not to make the MAGA group unhappy; at midnight, he raged, calling Republicans "absurd."

Trump's post screenshot

The report said that this deadlock forced the House speaker Johnson to adopt a delaying tactic and announce an indefinite postponement of the vote.

At around 11 p.m. on February 2, Johnson told NBC reporters that he would keep the voting channel open while trying to persuade these Republicans to change their positions. He said, "I will keep it open as long as possible until I ensure every member is present and completes the vote, and all issues are resolved."

Johnson said he had spoken with three of the Republicans who had voted against and was working to "find the fourth." He said, "I think they are willing to have a conversation. Everyone wants to achieve this agenda for the people, and we will give them every opportunity." At that time, the fifth Republican had not yet cast a vote against. As the fourth, Fitzpatrick left the House after voting against.

Johnson also revealed that around 1 a.m. on July 3, Trump called him and said he could personally call the Republicans who had voted against to persuade them to change their minds. Johnson said, "I said, 'Mr. President, you've done your job, and we will do ours.'"

According to the latest news from NBC, on the morning of July 3, the "Big and Beautiful" bill passed the procedural vote with 219 votes in favor and 213 votes against, entering the formal debate and voting process in the House of Representatives.

Johnson told reporters that he expected the House to hold a formal vote between 8:00 and 8:30 a.m. on July 3. When asked how to win the support of Republican opponents, Johnson answered, "Just having great patience, listening to everyone's concerns, and ensuring their concerns are addressed."

This article is an exclusive article by Observers Network. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7522787165907075619/

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