Texas politicians, officials react to passage of Trump's 'big beautiful bill'
AUSTIN (KXAN) — With the U.S. House of Representatives' passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act on Thursday, it now heads to President Donald Trump for his signature.
The Senate passed its version of the bill on Tuesday. The House voted along party lines Thursday to approve the Senate's changes to the bill.
Here's how Texas' lawmakers and elected officials reacted to the news.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
State-level leaders
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick thanked Trump on social media for Congress passing the bill.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton called it "an incredible moment for our nation's future."
"President Trump's Big Beautiful Bill is HISTORIC legislation that's going to unleash economic growth and help deport the millions of illegals aliens who have been destroying our country," wrote Paxton on X.
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said in a statement that the bill "signifies a historic achievement for American families, farmers, and rural communities."
"President Donald J. Trump has kept his promise and given a vital boost to our agricultural industry and the hardworking people who keep it running," Miller said. "Amid increasing costs, this legislation provides tax certainty for the hardworking individuals who drive our economy and support our nation.
According to Miller, the bill "broadens [tax] deductions for farm equipment, encourages agricultural innovation, and protects the legacy of family-run farms."
"The bill also delivers a historic $50 billion investment into rural healthcare, ensuring that our farmers and ranchers have reliable access to quality medical services," Miller said. "On behalf of Texas agriculture, I thank every member of Congress who stood with the working class and voted to put America first. This victory is more than policy; it’s a set of promises kept to rural America and a bold step toward securing the future of our farms, our families, and our food supply.”
Republican lawmakers:
All of Texas' Republicans in Congress voted for the bill.
U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul said in an email that the final version of the bill included a provision authored by the congressman. Approximately $13.5 billion will reimburse Texas and other states along the US-Mexico border, according to McCaul.
"The American people elected a Republican House, Senate, and White House because they were tired of a raging border crisis, a weak national security, and a broken economy," McCaul said. "The One Big Beautiful Bill delivers on their mandate by funding President Trump’s border security efforts, bolstering the Department of Defense at a crucial time in history, and making permanent the largest tax cut in history. I’m proud to have joined my Republican colleagues in voting to restore our great nation and put this historic bill on the president’s desk just in time for Independence Day."
Sen. Ted Cruz issued a statement on Tuesday following the Senate's vote to pass the bill. He highlighted the bill's provisions related to school choice, taxes on tips and personal investment accounts for minors.
"Today, we delivered on our promise to the American people to cut taxes, create jobs, support working Americans, and transformationally invest in our children," Cruz said Tuesday morning.
Sen. John Cornyn also issued a statement Tuesday:
"By passing the One Big Beautiful Bill, the Senate has delivered on President Trump’s hallmark legislative priority of his second term,” said Cornyn in his Tuesday statement. “This bill puts Texans first by avoiding a massive tax increase on hardworking families, making historic investments to help secure our southern border, reducing financial barriers for Texans exercising their Second Amendment rights, and other priorities I have championed like reimbursing Texas for Operation Lone Star and allowing for the movement of the Space Shuttle Discovery to its rightful home in Houston."
Democratic lawmakers:
All of Texas' Democrats in Congress voted against the bill.
U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett called it "Trump's Big Ugly Bill" in an email.
“So many Republican colleagues seem to believe that their most important role is clicking their heels and saluting Trump. With the rare exception of Republican Senator Tillis, who recognized that ‘this bill will betray the promise Donald Trump made,’ they fell in line like automatons," Doggett said.
He claimed in his email that the bill will add "trillions more in national debt" and raise Americans' cost of living.
"Never have such an elite few gained so much from those who have so little. As we celebrate Independence Day, we must be mindful that we will not remain the land of the free unless we are indeed the home of the brave, determined to resist one-man rule,” Doggett said.
U.S. Rep. Greg Casar said that the bill was "a betrayal of working Americans"
"So that billionaires can buy bigger yachts, millions of working people will be unable to afford to go to the doctor, put food on the table, or keep the lights on," Casar said. “For years, Washington Republicans have talked a big game about becoming the party of working people. This vote should be the final nail in the coffin of that idea."
Casar, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said that GOP lawmakers chose to hurt the working class people who elected them.
“In the end, Washington Republicans will simply betray the working class people they won over in the last election. They’ve done what they always do: take from the working class to give to the rich," Casar said. “As Democrats, we must make sure they never live that down.”
Austin City Leaders
Austin's Mayor Pro Tem Vanessa Fuentes posted on social media about the bill's passage:
"The final passage of this tax bill will be remembered in the midterms. Republicans talk affordability, then slash working family benefits to cut billionaires a break — while driving the largest federal deficit in U.S. history," she wrote.
Austin Council Member Zohaib “Zo” Qadri posted on the social media website Bluesky:
"The GOP just passed a bill that’s a direct attack on working families. It’s the largest wealth transfer to the ultra-rich in U.S. history, and it’s only the beginning. We can’t let this slide. We must fight back, organize, and demand a system that works for all of us," he wrote.