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Full House Could Vote Any Minute on Trump Agenda Megabill. Aired 1:30-2p ET
Aired July 03, 2025 - 13:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[13:30:00]
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES, (D) HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: -- for your children and a good retirement. That's what House Democrats are fighting for. That's the aspirational part of the Declaration of Independence to bring that to life, the pursuit of happiness. Right? That's the aspirational part. But then when you look at that Declaration of Independence, the second part of it, it reads like an indictment against --
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": Let's bring in Lauren Fox. So, we do have indications that Leader Jeffries may be wrapping up his remarks soon, as he has now surpassed the modern day House record with his marathon floor remarks, taking advantage of that magic minute, which certainly has grown into hours and hours here.
Lauren Fox, you were there just outside of the House Chamber. Talk to us about how this has gone. He's been at this now for several hours.
LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, I mean, he's been at this now for more than eight-and-a-half hours, Brianna. And clearly, one of the points that Democrats have been trying to make throughout this speech, the Democratic leader in particular, is that this is a moment that they want to make clear what the Democratic message is going to be going into the midterms elections.
You hear him talking so much about the cuts to Medicaid. You hear him telling stories about constituents and Americans who may experience changes in their own lives because of some of these changes that were part of the Senate bill. That is going to be a central and core message that Democrats hammer home in the months ahead. And this is really a preview of what that looks like. He also made an interesting point a couple of minutes ago, where he said he wanted to take this to the American people in the light of day rather than have this pass in the dead of night.
That's often a criticism that each party levels against the other one when they have sort of these last minute votes in the middle of the night. Obviously, Speaker Johnson did have a key procedural vote in the middle of the night, but this, he argues, is an opportunity for the American people to see in the light of day exactly what Republicans are passing.
Now, I will note that Speaker Johnson talked to me just a short time ago and made the point that he believes that Jeffries is telling lies on the floor, that as soon as they're done with this piece of the process, which is Jeffries' magic minute, he expects that they're going to pass this bill in short order. But it's just a really interesting moment to see what the Democratic playbook is going to look like going into the midterm elections.
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": It is, and Leader Jeffries just put down a binder a moment ago. He picked another one up and said, in closing, so we are anticipating that he may be wrapping up his remarks. Let's tune in again.
JEFFRIES: Many of us had the great honor of serving with Congressman John Lewis. It's a great honor, Mr. Speaker, to serve with Congressman John Lewis.
JEFFRIES: And I came across something that John Lewis said in June of 2028, that hopefully, no matter what the outcome of this vote will give people some hope. Great John Lewis said do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year. It is the struggle of a lifetime. That's our struggle. No matter what Mr. Speaker you decide to do today, that's our struggle. Standing on the shoulders of John Lewis, that's our struggle.
Never ever be afraid to make some noise and get into good trouble. Good trouble, good trouble, necessary trouble. Standing on the shoulders of giants, John Lewis would often talk to us about his admiration for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King, who would refer to John Lewis as the boy from Troy. Now, what's interesting to me, that civil rights movement, we can learn a lot from it, started December of 1955 and Rosa Parks sat down on that bus, so that all of us could have the courage to stand up.
[13:35:00]
Wasn't an easy struggle. All the odds were stacked against these civil rights heroes and foot soldiers. And during the early days of the movement, a difficult part of the movement, Dr. King, after they've been targeted, arrested, beaten, harassed by the authorities, he traveled to Brooklyn, New York, and spoke at the Concord Baptist Church. I think it was in March of 1956.
And he said to a group of people, of every race, every religion, every life experience, the Concord Baptist Church in Bedford-Stuyvesant, said to them, no matter what the odds, we've got to press on. Dr. King said that if you can't fly, run. If you can't run, walk. If you can't walk, crawl. But at all times, press on and keep pressing. And so as I take my seat, I just want to say to the American people that no matter what the outcome is on this singular day, we're going to press on. We're going to press on. We're going to press on.
We're going to press on for our children, press on for our seniors, press on for our veterans, press on for our unions, press on for our farmers, press on for our dreamers, press on for working class Americans, press on for the middle class, press on for all who aspire to be part of the middle class, press on for the poor, press on for the sick, press on for the afflicted, press on for the least, press on for the loss, press on for the left behind, press on for the rule of law, press on for the American way of life, press on for democracy. We are going to press on until victory is won.
I yield back.
(APPLAUSE) SANCHEZ: A standing ovation for Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in the House as he shatters the record for longest speech while trying to delay President Trump's so-called Big, Beautiful Bill. There, Leader Jeffries evoking the Declaration of Independence on the eve of the Nation's 259th birthday, as well as late Congressman and civil rights activist John Lewis, Rosa Parks, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., saying to the American people that no matter the outcome today, he and Democrats will press on until victory is won, though it is all but assured that now the House will ratify the Big, Beautiful Bill, as it's called, into law.
KEILAR: He had been speaking for more than eight-and-a-half hours. He started this morning at 4:52 a.m. and throughout those almost nine hours, he called out Republicans in swing districts for this bill that Democrats see political vulnerability in for Republicans, for the fact that what is in this bill polls so poorly and you see him there, what is going to be a big defeat today for Democrats and a huge win for President Trump. We expect if this passes the House and he gets his signature legislation to his desk, Hakeem Jeffries there, still trying to inspire and encourage his fellow Democrats ahead of this vote. We will continue to follow this and we'll be right back with more.
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[13:43:59]
REP. MIKE JOHNSON, (R-LA) HOUSE SPEAKER: -- for days now. But this day, this day is a hugely important one in the history of our nation. We have a big job to finish and that's why we're here on the week of July 4th, just days before -- just a day before now, America's birthday. It was on that fateful day, as a Democrat leader, acknowledged that our founders pledged their lives and their sacred honor to this grand experiment in self-governance that we are now here to steward. It's an experiment that falls to us to guard and to protect it.
We take that very seriously on this side of the aisle. In just a few moments, we will remind the world why the American experiment still endures today and why its best days are still ahead of us.
(APPLAUSE)
[13:45:00]
JOHNSON: Mr. Speaker, with one Big, Beautiful Bill, we are going to make this country stronger, safer, and more prosperous than ever before. And every American is going to benefit from that.
(APPLAUSE) Today, we are laying a key cornerstone of America's new golden age. Now listen, we have a few words of gratitude first, scripture has been cited a lot this morning, I think mostly out of context, but what I will say --
(LAUGH)
JOHNSON: -- what I will say, one thing that we know about scripture is that we're supposed to give honor where honor is due, and that's what we do on this side of the aisle. I want to thank every single member of the House Republican Conference for their pouring their time and their heart and their expertise and experience into this process. I want to thank all of our amazing staff members, all of them. Yes.
(LAUGH)
JOHNSON: Their dedication, their endless hours, their hard work made this all possible. I want to -- I want to thank the White House Office of Legislative Affairs, who have basically lived with us now for the last few weeks. Their patience and persistence and their professionalism is greatly appreciated. Our country's incredible cabinet secretaries have been involved as well. They've assisted us in countless ways throughout this process.
Our Vice President, J.D. Vance, helped us navigate so many dire straits along the last several weeks through the House and the Senate, and of course, our bold, visionary, fearless President Donald J. Trump.
(APPLAUSE)
JOHNSON: President Trump is the creator and the champion of the America First agenda. We will deliver upon that today. We come a long way -- we come a long way. We began this process really about 15 months ago. We had a sense and we believe that we would have unified government. We would have this moment where the Republican Party would be given control of the White House and the Senate and the House. And we determined to ourselves that we would not waste that historic opportunity.
We've had spirited debates. We've had months of deliberation and now, we are finally ready to fulfill our promise to the American people. That's what we are doing today. Now look, before I respond to the allegations from across the chamber, I just want to take us back to a day that most of us will remember so very fondly for the rest of our lives, and that's November 5, 2024. That was Election Day, a fateful one for America.
(APPLAUSE)
JOHNSON: The reason that was so important, the reason it was such a turn in history, is because the American people spoke with unmistakable clarity. We sensed it as we were all out campaigning. We saw that there would be a demographic shift in America, and that is exactly what the election yielded. We, in our party, had a record number of black and African American voters come to the Republican Party. We had a record number of Hispanic and Latino voters come to the Republican Party, a record number of Jewish voters and union workers, and suburban women and urban voters. They came out in record numbers to join the Republican Party and the America First agenda with President Trump.
(APPLAUSE)
JOHNSON: That election was decisive. It was a bellwether. It was a time for choosing. And I tell you what, the American people chose overwhelmingly, they chose the Republican Party, and the reason they did that, the reason they did that, they didn't come hesitantly. They came with hopeful anticipation. You know why? Because this is not your father's Democratic Party, OK? They went so far full speed to the far left, and their radical woke progressive agenda, that nonsense that they tried to push on the people was rejected by the people.
(APPLAUSE)
JOHNSON: These new voters came to us. They had enough of the Biden- Harris madness and all the things they were trying to hoist upon the American people, that they just don't believe in their hearts, and they were hopeful. They came to us with hope. They wanted us to restore common sense and accountability, and we promised to them that we would do just that. Those new demographics came to the Republican Party because of open borders wreaking havoc on their communities. They came because of weakness at home that fueled instability abroad, and because trillions in reckless spending put the price of gas and groceries further out of the reach for hardworking Americans.
[13:50:00]
It wasn't right. President Trump and our Republican majority in Congress are fixing all of that right now. President Trump said this week, we're the hottest country in the world, again.
(APPLAUSE)
JOHNSON: My friends, that is an objective truth. Hey, listen, how about all the wins for the president in this party? Here's just a sample from the last two weeks. The headline today will be the One Big, Beautiful Bill passes the Congress. OK?
(APPLAUSE)
JOHNSON: You got to hold your applause. There's too many wins. You are tired of winning yet?
CROWD: No.
JOHNSON: Fourth Jobs Report in a row exceeds expectations. The sample of the headlines, lowest monthly border encounters in U.S. history. We closed the border.
(APPLAUSE) JOHNSON: Last couple of days, a new trade deal with Vietnam and all the countries of the world around the world lining up for that. UPenn agrees to ban biological men from women's sports and they ought to give a personal apology to every female athlete impacted by that nonsense. Gas prices are at a four-year low, my friends, the Air Force and Space Force both hit their 2025 recruiting goals three months early. Israel is agreeing to a 60-day ceasefire with Hamas. Successful strike on Iranian nuclear sites handles that problem, that's exactly right.
(APPLAUSE)
JOHNSON: Strength is back, America is back. It's resulted now in a ceasefire deal between Iran and Israel. The NATO countries are increasing their defense spending, not just 2 percent, 5 percent of GDP. OK? The president got in charge and got a Rwanda-Congo peace deal. The Supreme Court ended nationwide injunctions. How about that? That conservative majority on the Supreme Court also allows third- party or third-country deportations. We've had a record-high stock market and we're signing a China trade deal. That's just the last two weeks, the last two weeks.
(APPLAUSE)
So many simple truths to share and so little time to do it because I want -- I want everybody to have a break here, but I just want to say this, it's really nice to hear my Democrat colleagues suddenly take an interest in working Americans again. Did you pick up on that theme today? Let's be clear. Working Americans stopped trusting Democrats a long time ago. That is a fact. They're looking to this side of the chamber. They're looking to the Republican Party and our principles to deliver the relief and the reform that they have long demanded and they most certainly deserve.
This Big, Beautiful Bill fulfills all the promises in the American First agenda. It is the people's bill. It is made for and shaped by the most diverse coalition of American voters in American history.
(APPLAUSE)
JOHNSON: Today, we are making the dream of a government that puts the American people first a reality -- a reality. I would need this entire notebook to tell you all the great things in the Big Beautiful Bill. It is aptly named, but I'll just tell you a couple of the highlights. Record tax cuts for hard working Americans.
(APPLAUSE)
JOHNSON: Historic savings at the same time to end reckless spending. We got energy dominance coming back to power our future. We have a secure border to protect American families. We have a strong military to restore peace through strength, and we have a government that is now accountable and responsive to the people once again, that's what we are delivering.
(APPLAUSE) JOHNSON: For everyday Americans, this means real positive change that they can feel and they will feel much more when this bill is done. Families back home will have real relief, an average of $10,000 in their pockets, thanks to the largest working and middle-class tax cut in the history of this great nation. That's what we're doing today.
(APPLAUSE)
[13:55:00]
JOHNSON: You got hardworking Americans like our waiters and our bellhops and our hairstylists. They're going to keep 100 percent of their tips and overtime pay. That is money they earned. It does not belong to the government. It belongs to them and they deserve to keep it.
(APPLAUSE)
JOHNSON: Small businesses that want to build and expand new factories, you know what they could do now? They can write off 100 percent of their investment. That will have us a lot more building. Young families who want to buy a home will be able to, thanks to historic savings that will put our country on a stronger financial footing. Pregnant women, children, senior, single mothers, the disabled and the low-income Americans among us receiving Medicaid and SNAP will have the peace of mind of knowing that we've made these safety nets stronger with our reforms.
(APPLAUSE)
JOHNSON: See, when Republicans are in charge, we bring common sense. We're going to make sure that Americans who do need and deserve those critical programs won't have to compete against people who can work, but choose not to do so. That's not right.
(APPLAUSE)
JOHNSON: This bill is going to put fairness back in the system. We are returning to common sense. We're returning to what is good and decent that people know in their hearts and that's why they support it. More Americans will be working, volunteering, and serving their communities because modest common sense work requirements will restore dignity and purpose to those on taxpayer-funded benefits. The bill will also mean that safer streets are available in every zip code around the country because our border will remain fully and totally secure.
(APPLAUSE)
JOHNSON: The Republican Party stands for law and order, and this is the side that stands with law enforcement, the brave men and women who are on the frontline.
(APPLAUSE)
JOHNSON: The idea that those who put their own lives on the line to protect us --
KEILAR: You are listening to Speaker Johnson here. A bit of an answer to Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who spent more than eight hours, breaking the record for the longest speech in modern House history on the House floor. And he is making the case here for President Trump's signature legislation, trying to rile up his troops there on the House floor ahead of what is expected to be this final vote on this huge bill.
SANCHEZ: Yeah, it really is a rebuttal to Jeffries. In fact, he started by picking up sort of a dummy binder, a huge binder, and putting it on that lectern, seeming to mock Jeffries' use of binders. He has had multiple shots at Democrats saying that, they're going too far left is why Republicans won in the last election with voters delivering them the White House and both chambers of Congress.
Let's go straight to CNN's Lauren Fox on the Hill. Lauren, what else are we expecting to come after the Speaker wraps his remarks?
FOX: Yeah, once the Speaker wraps, then they can begin voting on the President's signature legislation. And I should note that when I spoke with Speaker Johnson a short time ago, he made clear this speech was not going to go anywhere near the length that Jeffries' speech went. So, Republicans are gathering in the chamber, Democrats are gathering in the chamber. Everybody is preparing for that inevitable vote that we expect could come very shortly. But, Johnson has to give some kind of response to Jeffries' speech given the fact that it was eight-and- a-half hours, given the fact that Jeffries called out many of his more moderate members who have to go home and run in swing districts across the country.
This is really the responsibility of the Speaker to make it clear and rally his own troops ahead of a vote that is very important to him and is very important to the President. And I just want to go back to the fact that there have been multiple deadlines that Johnson has set and many times, these have been self-imposed, sometimes Trump has imposed them, but they were really arbitrary in many ways. One was Memorial Day for the House to get out their first version of this bill and there was a lot of concern that perhaps they wouldn't be able to get it done, even among Republicans in their own party.
There were also some very skeptical Republican Senators who didn't think getting this all wrapped by the July 4th deadline was going to be possible either. Given the fact that it is July 3rd, that it is about two o'clock in the afternoon and we are probably just minutes --
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