The “big, beautiful bill” is a hot mess.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS PASSED their “big, beautiful bill” in the wee hours Thursday after a deceptive, opaque, decidedly rushed, and somewhat tumultuous intrapartisan negotiation process. The bill passed 215–214–1, with all Democrats opposed and five Republicans either voting against, voting present, or missing the vote because they were sleeping. The bill’s fortunes improved through the night as one so-called moderate House Republican after another reneged on promises to preserve the social safety net. Many of their constituents will be feeling the pain of the coming policy changes in the years ahead.

To get to their final product, the Rules Committee held a hearing open for twenty-plus hours while Republican leaders cut side deals with various factions.

The last-minute deals included a compromise with so-called “moderate” blue-state Republicans to increase the threshold for state and local tax deductions from $10,000 to $40,000, a paltry sum compared to what its primary advocates had originally sought. Inking this deal was the only goal those moderates brought to the negotiating table, even though for months they loudly promised to prevent Medicaid from being fed to the ultraconservative wolves.

Republicans who pledged not to cut Medicaid, such as Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), happily explained it away by redefining the word “cut.” In an interview, Lawler claimed the bill will actually “protect critical services like Medicaid.”

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