Speaker Johnson and House Republicans hold a press briefing after the passage of the Big Beautiful Bill.
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00:00Thanks everybody for being here. This is a big day. We sit on the House floor. It's finally morning in America again.
00:08The media and the Democrats have consistently dismissed any possibility that House Republicans could get this done.
00:14They did not believe that we could succeed in our mission to enact President Trump's America First agenda.
00:20But this is a big one. And once again, they have been proven wrong.
00:24Today the House has passed generational, truly nation-shaping legislation
00:30to reduce spending and permanently lower taxes for families and job creators,
00:35secure the border, unleash American energy dominance, restore peace through strength,
00:40and make government work more efficiently and effectively for all Americans.
00:45House Democrats voted against all of that. So everything that I just said, they voted the opposite.
00:50Clearly proves they must want the largest tax increase in U.S. history on the American citizens.
00:56They must want open borders. They've proven that over and over.
00:59They must want Medicaid for illegal immigrants.
01:03We look forward to the Senate's timely consideration of this once-in-a-generation legislation.
01:08We stand ready to continue our work together to deliver on the one big beautiful bill,
01:13as President Trump named it himself. We're going to send that to his desk.
01:17We're going to get there by Independence Day on July 4th.
01:20And we are going to celebrate a new golden age in America.
01:23Thank you for being here. I will yield next to our leader, Steve Scalise.
01:29Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And as the Speaker said, it truly is morning in America again.
01:36You know, when you think about all of the work that's gone into putting this bill together,
01:42it's one big beautiful bill for a lot of reasons.
01:45There are a lot of really important wins for the American people in this bill.
01:51And we had 11 committees come together and meet in hearings.
01:57Some went on over 24 hours. Rules Committee went over 20 hours.
02:03You had, of course, the Budget Committee. Chairman Arrington is the lead author of the bill.
02:09All of the people that had to come together in our conference.
02:12And I think a lot of you know we don't all think alike.
02:16Democrats made it very clear they didn't want to have any part in helping get America back on track again.
02:23But we were never deterred. When this bill could have failed 10 times over,
02:29we said we were going to get this done and failure is not an option, and we meant it.
02:34We knew we were fighting for the families who have been struggling for way too long
02:39under the failed policies of Joe Biden and all the Democrats who did have control of Washington for too long.
02:46We watched higher interest rates and higher inflation and lower wages
02:51and a demise of the American dream that we knew should not be permanent,
02:57but was only going to turn around if we passed a bill to get America back on track.
03:03We knew we had to prevent a massive tax increase, so we put it in the bill.
03:08We knew we needed to secure America's border, as President Trump ran on all across this country
03:14and won the election on, and we put it in this bill.
03:18We ran on and said we would produce more American energy, and we put it in this bill.
03:26All the things that we knew we needed to do to root out waste, fraud, and abuse in government,
03:31focus on those families who are struggling.
03:34All of that is in this one big, beautiful bill, and yes, now the House has come together
03:40and passed this bill against all odds, but we're still working on the rest of the process.
03:47It still goes to the Senate.
03:49The Senate has a lot of work to do, too.
03:51That's why we've been talking to the Senate for a long time,
03:54but it's their turn to take this bill and move forward.
03:57But I'll tell you, none of this would be possible without the leadership of President Trump,
04:02who every step of the way not only laid out the vision, ran a campaign on this vision,
04:09but every step of the way, too, said whatever you need, let me know, and he was there to help us.
04:16Our great speaker, Mike Johnson, who was never deterred, probably hasn't slept in a few days,
04:23but never wavered in his commitment to get this done, and this whole team has come together.
04:30And our whip has never relented and never stopped pushing to get this done.
04:37With that, I bring up our great Majority Whip, Tom Emmer.
04:48Thank you, Steve.
04:49On November 5th, the American people rejected the failed policies of the Biden-Harris administration
04:55and overwhelmingly endorsed President Trump's America First agenda.
05:00Using his executive authority, President Trump hit the ground running on day one
05:04to deliver on the promises he made to the American people.
05:08Today, House Republicans followed suit.
05:11Our one big, beautiful bill fulfills the mandate for change we were given last November.
05:17It allows President Trump to continue his successful border security and deportation operations
05:23by investing in more Border Patrol agents and ICE officers,
05:27funding the continuation of the border wall,
05:30and equipping our men and women on the front lines with the tools they need to keep us safe.
05:35Not only will the one big, beautiful bill help to make America safe again,
05:40it will also help to make America wealthy again.
05:44America's economic revival has already begun under President Trump's leadership,
05:49but House Republicans back it up in this bill by making the 2017 Trump tax cuts permanent,
05:56eliminating tax on tips and overtime,
05:59and throwing out regulations that burden American businesses and suffocate American innovation.
06:05From promoting the safety and security of our great nation
06:08and giving much-needed tax relief to American families
06:11to unleashing American energy and bringing accountability to important government programs,
06:17there are wins in this bill for every corner of America.
06:22Take this as a lesson.
06:24Don't bet against the House Republicans.
06:28We've shown time and time again that we deliver for the American people,
06:32especially when it matters most.
06:34By taking hold of this historic opportunity,
06:38I truly believe we've unlocked the opportunities for generations to come.
06:43With that, I turn it over to our conference chair, Lisa McClain.
06:48Well, good morning, everybody, and a good morning it is.
06:53We just made history and passed the one big, beautiful bill,
06:59despite the Democrats' fear-mongering.
07:02Shocker, we haven't seen that lately, have we?
07:04And the hours that they spent stalling the votes on this entire process.
07:09The Democrats tried to derail this bill, and guess what?
07:14It didn't work. They failed.
07:16Not only did the Democrats vote against the bill,
07:20but they introduced hundreds of meaningless amendments,
07:26spewed misleading talking points,
07:28and now they have nothing to show for it
07:32except voting on the record for the historic tax increase
07:38and to kill jobs of the small- and medium-class business owners in America.
07:44Frankly, Democrats voted to put Americans last, and it's a shame.
07:51But thank God for House Republicans,
07:54and thank God for our president, Donald J. Trump.
07:58His vision, alongside the work of my colleagues,
08:01made today a historic day.
08:05Behind me is what you see, a unified Republican conference
08:10with phenomenal leadership.
08:12And this Republican conference works as a team.
08:16This transformational legislation will provide safety and security
08:20for generations to come.
08:23Whether it's at our borders or in our pocketbooks,
08:26Americans will be better off thanks to the one big, beautiful bill.
08:31Our committees had difficult tasks, and they delivered.
08:36And some doubted that this was even possible.
08:39But at the end of the day, we all came together.
08:43House Republicans did not miss the moment.
08:46And because of our work, we will put more money in the pockets of hardworking Americans.
08:53We will prevent the next Lincoln, Reilly, or Rachel Moran from being murdered.
08:59And we will save another family from the heartbreak of fentanyl poisoning.
09:04And to think, the Democrats voted against all of that.
09:10But I am thankful for the House Republicans,
09:14that they stood up for the American people.
09:17We put them first.
09:19This is what real leadership looks like.
09:23This is what winning looks like.
09:26And this is what America looks like under President Donald Trump
09:32and House Republicans' leadership.
09:35Safe, secure, and prosperous.
09:39And now I will turn it over to the Chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure,
09:44Mr. Sam Graves.
09:47I'll be brief.
09:49But I'm proud to stand up here with my chairman colleagues,
09:53and I want to thank them for all the work that they did.
09:55The Republican leadership, and especially President Trump and his team,
10:00for helping to get this across the board, across the line.
10:06For our part, for the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's part,
10:09we exceeded our mark when it came to cuts.
10:12And at the same time, we also made investments in our United States Coast Guard.
10:17More importantly, we made a down payment on modernization of our air traffic control system.
10:23And on top of that, we're going to see the first new money in the Highway Trust Fund in over 30 years.
10:28So with that, I encourage the Senate to do their work
10:32and to get this moved as well across the board.
10:36And I will turn it over to Chairman Rogers.
10:42Thank you, Sam.
10:43This one big, beautiful bill makes a generational investment in national defense.
10:48The bill includes bipartisan legislation from the House Armed Services Committee
10:53that provides mandatory $150 billion in mandatory spending
10:59to help us start implementing President Trump's Peace Through Strength agenda.
11:04That $150 billion will fund key investment initiatives in President Trump's Golden Dome,
11:12revitalize our defense industrial base,
11:15help secure our southwest border because border security is national security,
11:20deter Chinese aggression, and enhance service member quality of life.
11:25With these investments, we will restore American deterrence
11:28and build the ready, capable, and lethal fighting force President Trump promised.
11:34I want to thank President Trump and Speaker Johnson for prioritizing national security in the bill
11:40and commend our entire leadership team for getting this done.
11:44And with that, I'll now turn it over to the Iron Lady, Chairman Fox.
11:51Thank you, and I want to thank my colleagues.
11:53As you all know, we came in for a lot of criticism for the Rules Committee meeting at 1 a.m. in the morning,
12:02but we needed to do that in order for us to be right here this morning getting this done.
12:09And I want to thank the Speaker for all the work that he has done.
12:14I've told him I'm going to nominate him for sainthood because he now has done many miracles here as Speaker.
12:24But he, working together with President Trump and all of my colleagues,
12:29and I want to thank the members of the Rules Committee for their patience and their perseverance.
12:35But this is a great morning in America again.
12:39We are delivering as Republicans for the American people,
12:43and we're all going to walk very happily for the next few weeks especially
12:51until we see the next challenge that we have.
12:54But this has just been a primer for it, and we're ready for the next ones.
12:59Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, President Trump.
13:03Jim Jordan, Judiciary Chair.
13:05Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
13:07I've said this many times before.
13:09I think we tend to make our job too complicated.
13:12It's really pretty basic.
13:13What did you tell the voters you were going to do when you put your name on the ballot and you ran for the job,
13:17and if you get elected, go do what you said?
13:19And this bill does that.
13:20It wouldn't have happened without the leadership of the Speaker and our entire team,
13:23and it certainly wouldn't happen without the leadership of President Trump.
13:26But last fall, we told the American people,
13:28you elect us, we're going to make sure we cut your taxes, your taxes don't go up.
13:32This bill does that.
13:33We told them last fall, you elect us, we will secure the border.
13:35President Trump has done that.
13:36We allocate resources in this bill to make sure it stays secure.
13:40We told people last fall, you elect us, we will respect moms and dads,
13:44we will let you have school choice, where you can pick the school where your son or daughter is going to get the best education.
13:49And we told people last fall, you elect us, we're going to treat you with the respect you deserve.
13:53Able-bodied people in our welfare system will have to work if they're going to get your money.
13:58This bill does what we said we were going to do.
14:01That's why it's a good day for our country.
14:04Next is Mr. Guthrie, the chairman of Energy.
14:08Thank you very much.
14:09As one of the new chairmen here,
14:11it's just been such a privilege to work with the leadership and the chairman and the entire conference
14:15to deliver on the promises that the House Republicans and President Trump promised in the campaign.
14:20In the Energy and Commerce Committee, we strengthened Medicaid for the most vulnerable.
14:25Leader Jeffries, when he gave his speech on the floor, read different stories that he received on Medicaid.
14:30Every single person that he talked about on the floor is completely covered by this bill.
14:35We reformed Medicaid so hardworking taxpayers who provide Medicaid
14:41also have those who can work and are able to work join the hardworking taxpayers to help pay for Medicaid.
14:48This is vital to our communities.
14:50We deliver on energy dominance in this bill.
14:55So I'm proud to have worked with my friends.
14:57I'm proud to work with, hopefully, our members of the Senate
15:01to make sure that this bill gets passed and gets to the president's desk.
15:04We strengthened Medicaid and we delivered on energy dominance. Thank you.
15:07And now I'd like to introduce my good friend, the chair of Agriculture, Mr. Thompson.
15:12Thank you so much. Good morning, everyone.
15:15And what a great morning it is.
15:17I'm so proud to be a part of this team led by President Trump and our speaker.
15:22And really proud of the members, Republican members, on the House Agriculture Committee
15:27and the hardworking staff.
15:29We delivered as a part of this big, beautiful bill, you know,
15:35pieces of legislation that will just serve well the people who consume
15:41and the people who produce agriculture commodities in this country.
15:46For the folks that consume, especially the most vulnerable,
15:49we've achieved something we haven't been able to do in a very long time,
15:52and that is to restore the intent of Congress,
15:55not by cutting or taking people off the roll for the nutrition programs,
15:59but restoring program integrity that makes sure they're able to get what they need,
16:04but to do that in a way that gives them hope for a better future,
16:07restoring rungs on a ladder of opportunity.
16:10And for the hardworking farm families,
16:13they really are the producers that are in production that have been up.
16:19Actually, with these past couple days, I felt like a dairy farmer, you know,
16:23with these hours we're working.
16:25But these families, they're up before sunlight.
16:27They're out there working.
16:30And we were able to deliver what I fondly refer to as Farm Bill 1.0.
16:36We couldn't do everything that they needed,
16:38but we were able to deliver a tremendous amount in terms of risk management
16:42for hardworking farm families
16:45that are really experiencing the worst farm economy in a half a century.
16:50And we know that we need those hardworking families to thrive,
16:54not just survive, but to thrive,
16:56because of them we have food security, which gives us national security.
17:02And so I'm just, once again, really proud to be here this morning,
17:06and I'm proud to introduce one of my chairmen of the committee I serve,
17:10Chairman Wahlberg, with Education and Workforce.
17:16It's a great stand-up here.
17:17This is the first step of the continuing process,
17:21and I want to give great appreciation to our speaker, our entire leadership team,
17:27and, of course, to the guy who is a must-do man, and that's President Donald Trump.
17:32That gave us all the purchase power to move what we needed to do.
17:36And I want to say thank you to my committee,
17:39as well as the committee staff that worked significantly.
17:42I think they all believe that without an educated workforce,
17:45we don't have a workforce that succeeds in this world.
17:48And without a workforce, we don't have a need for education.
17:51So put them two together, and we've got the opportunity.
17:55And so we were given a high lift, a high challenge.
17:58We found ultimately almost $350 billion of savings,
18:03and that's a term because it gives us a chance to make sure that students
18:08have a better opportunity with reduced costs to go through their educational process,
18:14with incentives that make that work,
18:17but also make sure that we don't have factory workers in Michigan
18:22and ranchers in Texas paying for lawyers in Manhattan their education,
18:28but everybody has that opportunity.
18:30And we also give universities and colleges and community colleges
18:34and taxpaying universities the opportunity to counsel students
18:40against taking on debilitating debt that puts them back
18:45and really stops the thrust of educational process.
18:48This is a start.
18:50We trust that the Senate has seen the pattern now,
18:53and we can work with them to achieve something that moves education
18:57and workforce forward in ways we haven't seen in a long, long time.
19:02And it was great to be part of this leadership team, this great group of chairmen,
19:08and it's a privilege now to introduce a guy who did yeoman work on ways and means,
19:16Chairman Smith.
19:21I first just want to say thank you for the hard work that's been put in
19:25by our House leadership team and every one of my fellow chairs,
19:30but also every single Republican member of this conference.
19:36You know, iron sharpens iron, and a lot of times we do that here,
19:41but it has made us so much stronger where we've been able to stand together
19:46and deliver real, real victories for American people.
19:50I remember when people said President Trump's reelection wasn't possible,
19:56and then it became the greatest political comeback in history.
20:01Seventy-seven million Americans voted to return Trump to office.
20:07We have those Americans and President Trump to thank
20:12for the Republican majorities in the House and the Senate.
20:17So then the doubters came back and said there's no way,
20:21no way that House Republicans can make the Trump tax cuts permanent.
20:26It's too hard.
20:28They said there's no way they can deliver on his campaign promises and cut spending.
20:34And they went even further and said there's no way that House Republicans
20:39can deliver on it as part of one big, beautiful bill.
20:46When I was raised in a trailer in Salem, Missouri, next to my dad's auto repair shop,
20:52I know what it's like to have everyone doubt your future.
20:57And I said it from the start.
20:59Failure is not an option.
21:02The doubters were wrong, because we just passed the one big, beautiful bill.
21:10And as promised, it delivers for working families,
21:14and this is how the greatest political comeback of all time
21:18has led to the greatest pro-worker, pro-family, pro-farmer,
21:25and pro-small business tax bill of all time.
21:29No tax on tips. No tax on overtime.
21:32No tax on loans for American-made cars.
21:36Tax relief for seniors.
21:39Make the Trump tax cuts permanent.
21:41We hold the woke elites accountable and no taxpayer benefits
21:45for illegal immigrants who broke the law.
21:48We're delivering for the gig workers that stay up late to put their kid through college.
21:54We're delivering for the restaurant workers that take another shift
21:58to help out a co-worker and put food on their table.
22:02We're delivering for the police officers and firefighters
22:05who show up in the dead of night to keep our communities safe.
22:10We're delivering for seniors who worked their whole lives
22:15and paid into Social Security and were promised tax relief.
22:20We're delivering for the families who, after surviving four years
22:24of Democrats' historic inflation, struggle to afford a school that meets their needs.
22:31We're delivering for the factory worker who needs to buy a car
22:35to drop his kids off on the way to work.
22:38We're delivering for the Americans that expect their tax dollars
22:43to go to help other Americans and not illegal immigrants.
22:50We're delivering for the President of the United States, Donald Trump,
22:55who made these promises and intends to keep them
22:59because the Republican Party is the party of the working class
23:04and we won't leave them behind.
23:08Pleased to introduce the great chairman of the Financial Services Committee,
23:13Mr. Hill.
23:17Good morning, everybody.
23:19It's such a pleasure to be with you, and let me say first and foremost
23:22thank you to Mike Johnson and our leadership team,
23:27our Majority Leader Steve Scalise, working hand in glove with President Trump
23:32all of last year on what would be the priorities for House Republicans
23:36to work hand in hand with our President if we were so fortunate to be elected,
23:43to have the House in the Republican hands,
23:45to have the presidency in President Trump's capable leadership hands,
23:49and to have the Senate.
23:50And this bill is that first step.
23:52This is that first step that delivers on that promise.
23:55And for my constituents in Arkansas, what a pleasure it was for me to vote
24:01that they're not going to face a 22% increase in their taxes,
24:06that 9 out of 10 Arkansans can use the standard deduction
24:10and have a simpler, straightforward way to file their taxes,
24:14that they can have the benefit of a more robust child tax credit.
24:18That's what House Republicans stand for.
24:21And let me also say that there were doubters, and you've heard that mentioned today,
24:27but President Trump has said frequently,
24:30why can't the Republicans stick together like the Democrats stick together?
24:35Well, with the leadership of Mike Johnson,
24:37Republicans have stuck together and delivered on the commitments that we've made
24:41in the campaign and in our planning in this first five months
24:46of what's going to be, as President Trump argues,
24:48a golden age for the American people and the American economy.
24:53In the House Financial Services Committee,
24:55we were proud to have been charged by Chairman Arrington
24:58with a $1 billion deficit reduction.
25:01And by golly, like all members of the House Financial Services Committee,
25:05we underpromised and overdelivered by cutting the deficit by $5.2 billion
25:11over that period of time.
25:12And it's the first substantive change in the Dodd-Frank Act in the past 15 years
25:19that will lead an anchor in our committee to deliver on another promise of the administration,
25:24which is to right-size regulations so that our capital providers
25:29can provide that access to capital to our small businesses, our big businesses,
25:33and make America more competitive.
25:35So again, congratulations to my fellow members of House leadership,
25:39our committee chairs, our staffs that worked so hard for so many months
25:43to deliver on what is a big success for our country.
25:46And now I'm happy to welcome my fellow Arkansan,
25:50a great chair of our Natural Resources Committee, Bruce Western.
25:57Good morning.
25:58You know, winning feels good.
25:59It always feels good.
26:00But it feels much better when you win as a team.
26:03And this was a team victory.
26:05And it's not just this team that you see standing here.
26:08It's the team of our whole Republican conference.
26:11It's hundreds of dedicated staff members who have worked many, many hours,
26:15who have made changes and gotten the bill text where it needs to be.
26:20But we wouldn't be at this point without the leadership of our speaker,
26:24who just keeps winning every time something comes up.
26:28And we don't have an option not to win.
26:31There is no other option than to win for the American people.
26:35And today I believe the American people win.
26:37And as I think about the Natural Resources Committee,
26:40I can't help but think about the only quote in the House chamber
26:43by Daniel Webster that we're coming upon the 200-year anniversary
26:48of him making this speech at the dedication of the Bunker Hill Monument.
26:52A thousand people gathered there and 120 Revolutionary War veterans.
26:56And the part of his speech that's in the House chamber starts off saying,
26:59let us develop the resources of our land.
27:03America has been blessed from sea to shining sea with abundant resources.
27:08America is also blessed with a conservation ethic
27:11to know how to use those resources in a responsible way
27:14and leave our resources in better shape for future generations.
27:19We were able to, on the Natural Resources Committee,
27:22exceed our budget instructions by a factor of 20.
27:27$20 billion in new revenue and savings over the 10-year window.
27:34But that's just the beginning.
27:36That's what CBO says we're going to generate by royalty rates,
27:41by lease sales, by selling timber, by having mining.
27:47That's just the very basic cost of selling those assets.
27:54What that doesn't account for is when you have a billion dollars of resources,
27:58it takes billions and billions of dollars of factories,
28:03of oil rigs, of pipelines, of mines, of refineries,
28:09of sawmills, and manufacturing equipment.
28:13And that's going to create millions of jobs across our country
28:17if we're fully able to use those resources, which is going to grow our economy.
28:23So this bill not only gives tremendous tax relief to hardworking Americans,
28:27it also gives hardworking Americans an opportunity to have great-paying jobs
28:32and to build things right here in America again
28:35and to attack our deficit by growing our economy
28:41and producing more income for families and more income for the federal government.
28:47And I couldn't be more proud to be part of this team today.
28:50And with that, I want to introduce the chairman of the Oversight Committee from Kentucky,
28:57Representative Comer.
29:01Well, today's a historic day, and today's a great day for the hardworking, taxpaying Americans.
29:09The People's House has delivered on President Trump's America First agenda.
29:13Our one big, beautiful bill cuts taxes for hardworking Americans and small businesses,
29:17putting more money directly back into the pockets of those hardworking Americans.
29:23It provides critical resources to secure our border and deport criminal, illegal aliens,
29:28the same dangerous individuals that Joe Biden allowed to flood into our country every day.
29:35It restores American energy dominance by rolling back the radical Green New Deal scam
29:39and unleashing domestic production.
29:42And it takes direct aim at waste, fraud, and abuse in Washington,
29:46making government more efficient and more accountable for the American taxpayer.
29:52For example, our bill tackles fraud in the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program,
29:57a GAO report uncovered instances where federal employees illegally placed non-family members
30:03on their taxpayer-subsidized health plans.
30:07The one big, beautiful bill ends this abuse, saving taxpayers $1.5 billion.
30:14We're proud the House passed this legislation.
30:17Now the Senate must do its job.
30:20Next, it gives me great pleasure to introduce one of the heroes from start to finish of this whole process,
30:26our great Budget Committee Chairman and my good friend, Jody Erickson.
30:33I'm the chairman that made these guys' lives just a little more difficult.
30:39The speaker told me he had two criteria for who would lead this bill.
30:43They had to be big and they had to be beautiful.
30:45And I just want to say, what an honor.
30:48Where's Jason?
30:50Where did Jason go?
30:53What a great day.
30:54What an extraordinary team effort.
30:57I am truly honored to serve with these folks and our conference.
31:02I'm humbled to this day.
31:06Nine years later, we came in together, still humbled, still pinching myself
31:10to be able to be part of the leadership of the greatest country in human history.
31:16I want to thank the speaker.
31:18I want to thank Steve Scalise and the entire leadership team for keeping all of us focused
31:24and unified and moving forward.
31:27I want to thank my fellow chairman and all of our members for their tireless efforts
31:33and their unwavering commitment.
31:35We said from the very beginning that this was a generational opportunity
31:40to deliver the most comprehensive and consequential set of policy reforms in modern history.
31:49And you know what?
31:51We achieved it in the one big, beautiful bill.
31:54The largest investment in border security and defense,
31:58the largest tax cuts for our families and small businesses,
32:03and the largest reduction in spending in U.S. history by two times.
32:11So we've got an opportunity to take that big step, that big, bold step,
32:18work with the Senate, get this bill to the president
32:22so that he can make that America First vision a reality in the American people's lives.
32:30And we're not going to stop.
32:31We're not going to be satisfied
32:32until these policy reforms are a reality for the people that we serve.
32:39So with that, God bless America.
32:41Go, West Texas, and reverse the curse.
32:45And Mr. Mark Green, our fearless leader for homeland security.
32:53No bill's perfect, but this one is big and beautiful,
32:56and I'll tell you why it's beautiful to me.
32:59It's beautiful to me because House Republicans,
33:02under the leadership of Mike Johnson and Donald Trump,
33:06showed the American people that we will do what we promised.
33:09And we showed the world that the borders of the United States of America
33:14are sovereign and secure.
33:18Our team, my committee of homeland security,
33:23has been pouring over this for a year on how best to do this.
33:27My staff, some of whom are here, thank you for your hard work.
33:31We're going to construct and add to the border wall with technology,
33:36cameras, lights, access.
33:39We're going to invest in the people who put their ass on the line
33:43to keep us safe every day.
33:46More training, more equipment, modernized equipment, better facilities.
33:51It's the right thing to do.
33:53And we're going to end the threats to the people of this country
33:58from the cartels, from the gangs that have poured across our southern border
34:03and the fentanyl, and who knows what else with the terrorists
34:07that got across the border under the last administration.
34:11It all comes to an end.
34:13And I want to, again, thank my team and thank the leadership of this conference.
34:17You know, 40 years, I think, we've been trying to push through border security.
34:20I mean, all these different bills, many of which were baits and swaps,
34:24and this guy pulled us all together and got it done.
34:30We finally secured the sovereign border of the United States.
34:33Thank you, and I'll be followed by the speaker.
34:37Well, this crew behind me is exhausted,
34:39so we're going to take maybe one or two questions and call it a day.
34:41Yes, ma'am.
34:43Was there a pivotal moment that sort of shifted the momentum on this bill?
34:49Twenty-four hours ago, the House of Representatives was standing right here
34:52saying that they had another seven to ten days to negotiate the legislation.
34:56What changed over the course of the last 24 hours?
34:59You know, there were a number of pivotal moments.
35:02We have 220 Republicans in the House Republican Conference
35:06and lots of different opinions.
35:08We represent very different districts around the country with very different interests.
35:13But the principle and the philosophy is always the same.
35:16Everybody's conservative.
35:17We believe in limited government, and we believe in individual freedom
35:20and the rule of law and peace through strength and fiscal responsibility
35:23and free markets and human dignity, the things that are all wrapped into this bill.
35:27And so I would say there was a lot of pivotal moments.
35:29One day I might actually write a book about the last year of my life
35:32in trying to get this thing over the line.
35:34But I'll say, look, I'm just going to say I give glory to God.
35:38I mean, there's a lot of prayer that brought this together.
35:40I'm just going to be very blunt about it.
35:42There was a few moments over the last week when it looked like the thing might fall apart,
35:45and I went to the little chapel over here and got on my knees
35:47and prayed that these guys would have wisdom and stamina and discernment,
35:50and that's the secret here, and teamwork and mutual respect that everybody has for one another.
35:56And I think that's what defines a Republican Party.
36:00It's a great day to be an American. It's a great day to be a Republican.
36:02Yeah, go ahead.
36:03For you, when this bill is going to go to the Senate,
36:05they're likely going to change it a lot.
36:07Are you prepared to do this again?
36:09No, all the senators, every one of them have promised me
36:12they're not going to change anything in our bill.
36:14No, I was honored to be at the Senate Republican luncheon on Tuesday.
36:22And, you know, I encourage them to remember that we have a very delicate equilibrium
36:27that we've reached on here.
36:28A lot of work went into this to find exactly the right balance.
36:31And you all saw how perilous that was over the last week as it developed.
36:34And I encourage our Senate colleagues to think of this as a one-team effort, as we have,
36:39and to modify this as little as possible because it will make it easier for us
36:43to get it over the line ultimately and finished and get it to the president's desk by July 4th.
36:47And that's a big thing.
36:48The reason we were so aggressive, and I know some of you all smiled
36:50and probably mocked me a little bit when I said early on we were going to do this by Memorial Day.
36:54You didn't believe it. I know you didn't, Reese. Most of you didn't.
36:57But the reason we did that was not because we had a pride of authorship
37:01or because we were trying to raise some banner.
37:03We did it because we need to get this relief to the American people as soon as possible.
37:06And President Trump made these promises on the campaign trail, and we did as well.
37:10And we want to, as Jim Jordan likes to say, we're going to do what we said we were going to do.
37:14And that's what this bill represents.
37:16And so the timetable is important.
37:18We also have the debt ceiling approaching.
37:20We've got the relief that the people need.
37:22And the sooner they feel that relief, the better.
37:24So we did our job, rolled up our sleeves, got it done, and we're really proud of that effort.
37:27One more question. Yes, ma'am.
37:29Is there anything that the Senate might be considering in terms of changing this bill that you all will not accept?
37:35I'm not going to draw any red lines.
37:38Look, I told them there's a lot of different opinions over there as there is here.
37:41They have a small margin as we do.
37:43We had a three-vote margin.
37:45By the way, I just want you to know for the record, we really had 217 votes this morning.
37:48Andrew Garbarino did not make it in time.
37:51He fell asleep in the back.
37:52No kidding. I know.
37:53I'm going to just strangle him.
37:55But he's my dear friend.
37:57And then David Schweikert was going to vote and slipped his card in right at the last minute.
38:04So it looks like a razor-thin margin, 215 to 214 and one present.
38:09It was really 217.
38:10Okay, will you all put a footnote somewhere in history on that thing?
38:13They're both going to go on record saying that's how they would have voted if they got the card in in time.
38:17Thank you so much for being here.
38:18Bless you all.
38:19Thanks to all these guys.