Jul 2, 2025 - Politics & Policy

GOP breaks record for longest House vote with "big, beautiful bill"

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) talks with reporters before heading to the House Chamber for a procedural vote on the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act on July 2 . Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images — Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) talks with reporters before heading to the House Chamber for a procedural vote on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act on July 2 . Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

House Republicans broke the record Wednesday for the lower chamber's longest vote in history after more than seven hours of grueling negotiations over President Trump's "big, beautiful bill."

Why it matters: The extended vote time reflects the severe reluctance among some on the House GOP's right flank to support the marquee tax and spending package.

The previous record was in 2021, when the House took seven hours and six minutes on a procedural vote related to then-President Biden's Build Back Better legislation.
House Republicans overtook that record at 9:15pm ET on Wednesday, then went another 15 minutes before finally closing the vote.
Assistant House Minority Leader Joe Neguse (D-Colo.) needled Republicans on the vote time by suggesting they were violating House rules by holding the vote open for so long.

State of play: The lengthy vote came about as a result of negotiations between House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and members of the right-wing Freedom Caucus.

The hardliners are upset that the Senate bill adds more to the deficit than the House-passed version while also excluding several key provisions they secured to cut green energy tax credits and Medicaid.
Some moderates have also had concerns about the bill, saying it cuts too much into Medicaid and other key programs.

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GOP breaks record for longest House vote with "big, beautiful bill"

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