US Senate passes Trump's 'big beautiful' spending bill, House of Rep. test next
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Time of India
27 minutes ago
- Time of India
'Big, beautiful bill': After marathon negotiations, Trump's megabill passes key US House vote; what's next
The US House of Representatives moved a step closer early Thursday to voting on President Donald Trump's key domestic policy bill, dubbed 'big beautiful bill', after Republican leaders managed to overcome opposition from conservative members who had threatened to block it. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The Republican-led US House advanced President Donald Trump's wide-ranging tax-cut and spending bill, clearing a procedural hurdle ahead of a possible final vote later in the day. The motion to proceed was approved by a 219-213 vote. Following hours of delay and negotiations, Speaker Mike Johnson achieved an initial win by securing enough support to bring the bill up for debate. The House voted 219 to 213 in favour, indicating that previously resistant Republicans had agreed to move forward. However, the bill still awaits a final vote for approval. What's next? The House members have started their debate on the bill, after which they will vote on the legislation. Of the five Republicans who initially voted 'no', four of them changed their votes to 'yes', delivering the votes necessary to pass the rule and advance the bill to set up a vote for final passage. The bill, which was first passed by the House in May, narrowly cleared the Senate on Tuesday by a single vote. It returned to the House on Wednesday for approval of changes made in the Senate. The legislation supports several of former President Donald Trump's campaign goals. It increases military spending, funds a large-scale migrant deportation program, and allocates $4.5 trillion to extend tax cuts introduced during his first term. However, it is projected to add $3.4 trillion to the national deficit over the next ten years and includes major reductions to the Medicaid health program, the largest since its start in the 1960s. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The Senate passed the 887-page bill after making several changes that moved it further to the right compared to the version earlier approved by the House. Democratic lawmakers strongly opposed the bill, criticizing both its content and the process used to pass it. Speaking from the Capitol steps on Wednesday with members of his caucus, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said, "All Democrats will vote 'no,' and they only need to flip four Republicans to prevent the bill from passing." Jeffries pointed to Republicans from politically competitive districts, including Rob Bresnahan and Scott Perry from Pennsylvania. "Why would Rob Bresnahan vote for this bill? Why would Scott Perry vote for this bill?" he said. Democrats said the proposed cuts to Medicaid could lead to 'Americans losing their lives because of their inability to access health care coverage.' Jeffries said on Monday that Republicans are 'literally ripping the food out of the mouths of children, veterans and seniors.' The bill introduces new work requirements of 80 hours a month for many adults receiving Medicaid. It also expands existing work requirements in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to more people. Additionally, states will have to pay more for food assistance programs. A major focus of the bill is extending tax cuts that are set to expire at the end of this year unless Congress takes action. According to the Tax Policy Center, a nonpartisan group analyzing tax and budget policy, the bill would lead to a $150 tax cut next year for the lowest income group, a \$1,750 cut for the middle group, and a $10,950 cut for the highest income group, compared to what they would pay if the 2017 tax cuts were allowed to end.
Time of India
32 minutes ago
- Time of India
Akhilesh Yadav alleges conspiracy behind school mergers, targets BJP over education policy
Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday launched a sharp attack on the BJP-led Uttar Pradesh government , alleging a deep-rooted conspiracy behind the recent move to merge government schools in rural areas. In a post on X in Hindi, Yadav claimed that the BJP is systematically undermining the education system to deprive future generations of their fundamental right to education. "Education is the truest measure of development. The continued neglect of education and educators under the BJP government raises serious concerns that this is part of a larger conspiracy," he said. Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track default , selected Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Crossout 2.0: Supercharged Crossout Play Now Undo He alleged that the BJP wants to keep the coming generations uneducated because educated individuals are likely to be more positive, tolerant, and resistant to the kind of "negative politics" of the BJP. "Education brings awareness, and with it comes the courage to stand united against exploitation and oppression. The self-confidence gained through education poses a threat to authoritarian parties like the BJP," he said, adding, "If there are no schools, there will be no opposition to the BJP." Live Events The former chief minister expressed fears that closing government schools in villages could pave the way for BJP-affiliated organisations to open their institutions "under the garb of service," where they could allegedly propagate "divisive ideologies." Yadav further accused the ruling party of fostering a crowd of "uneducated, superstitious, and unscientific minds" that could be easily manipulated. "A truly educated and socially conscious person can never support an ideology like that of the BJP," he said. Highlighting the symbolic importance of having schools within sight, he said, "It is well known that what disappears from sight disappears from the mind. If schools are no longer visible in villages, the very inspiration for education will vanish." Questioning the government's priorities, Yadav argued, "If a polling booth can be set up for a single voter, why can't a school be run for 30 children?" Calling it a part of a broader "conspiracy to further marginalise the already deprived PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) communities," Yadav urged for resistance against the move and demanded the protection and expansion of government-run schools across Uttar Pradesh. According to sources, the Yogi-Adityanath-led government decided to merge schools to rationalise educational resources and address issues such as low enrolment, teacher shortage, and duplication of infrastructure. The move, officials claim, aims to consolidate small and under-enrolled schools and merge them with nearby institutions. There are about 1.40 lakh primary and upper primary government schools in the state, out of which 29,000 have 50 or fewer students, an official said, adding that around 89,000 teachers are posted in these schools. Yadav also posted a news story from Kannauj, which alleges 38 schools in the districts are facing fear of merger.
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First Post
33 minutes ago
- First Post
From shaky to robust, 6 months of Donald Trump's second presidency revive his business fortunes
President Donald Trump has profited from the presidency like no one else in American history as the difference between the personal and the professional has ceased to exist. Nearly two-thirds of his $11 billion net worth has come from cryptocurrency ventures in past six months alone. read more US President Donald Trump (left) and US First Lady Melania Trump (right) applaud as they watch the Army 250th Anniversary Parade from the Ellipse in Washington DC on June 14, 2025. (Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP) US President Donald Trump's net worth is almost impossible to accurately estimate because of a complex web that money travels through in his sprawling family and business ventures. But one thing is as clear as day: he has profited from the presidency like no one else in American history. Consider this: In 2023, Forbes estimated Trump's net worth to be $2.5 billion. In March 2025, it rose to $5.1 billion and it rose to $5.2 billion by July. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Since 2023, Trump has floated his own cryptocurrency, invested in cryptocurrency ventures, and launched a range of merchandise that brings him and his family money. While Forbes has shown that his net worth more than doubled between late 2023 early 2025 as he first secured the Republican presidential nomination and then won the election, independent analyses have shown that his real net worth would be much more. Trump's total net worth from cryptocurrencies (as much as $7.1 billion), stocks, bonds, and cash (at least $2.2 billion), and real estate and other business holdings (at least $1.3 billion), and fees and royalties (at least $631 million in 2024) is around $11.23 billion, according to The New York Times. No line between personal and the professional The line between the personal and professional has ceased to exist as Trump's children and friends cut deals by using his name and he secures plush deals for himself from foreign governments, such as the luxury aeroplane from Qatar that's essentially a personal gift to him — not to the US government. Trump has also sold seats for private dinners for millions after assuming the office. There are direct conflicts of interest. For example, cryptocurrency industry figures who have attended such dinners by paying him and his family millions have sought deregulation of industry. There are already signs that they are getting their way. One such guest, Chinese billionaire Justin Sun, paid Trump more than $40 million to become one of the largest holders of his $TRUMP cryptocurrency. He was accused by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in 2023 of fraud, but the case against him has been put on hold under the Trump administration — an apparent instance of a quid pro quo. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Amazon owner Jeff Bezos has announced a film on First Lady Melania Trump that will reportedly pay her as much as $28 million. Trump is also getting a $200 million-worth luxury aeroplane from Qatar. Notably, it is not planned to be a government-to-government deal. The Trump administration plans to donate the aeroplane to the Trump presidential library after the completion of the term which would make it Trump's private property. In simple words, Trump would receive a luxury plane from Qatar as president and then transfer it to him for his personal use as a private citizen. Does public even care about corruption? Trump's brazen use of the presidency for personal enrichment has led many to ask a basic question: does public even care about ethics and corruption? When Hillary Clinton was First Lady, a scandal broke out when it emerged that her investment of $1,000 in 1980s had made her $100,000. Compare that to the money that Melania is making off her husband's name: $28 million. Yet there is barely any outrage. The Trump family is also selling $500,000 membership of a private club in Washington DC, but, again there is barely any outrage. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Either the general public never cared about this or the public did care about it but no longer does, according to Paul Rosenzweig, a senior counsel to Ken Starr's investigation of former President Bill Clinton, and later served in the George W Bush administration. Rosenzweig told The Times that he believes the answer is that '80 per cent, the public never cared' and '20 per cent, we are overwhelmed and exhausted'. 'Outrage hasn't died. It was always just a figment of elite imagination,' said Rosenzweig. As Trump has two other co-equal branches of the government in his pocket as well, the Congress and the Judiciary, there is little scope of his and his family's profiteering facing any scrutiny. Some Democrats are hopeful they could generate public backlash. 'It is unlikely he is going to be held accountable through traditional means. There are going to be no special counsels; there's going to be no DOJ [Department of Justice] action. And so it's really just about public mobilization and politics. If Republicans keep paying a price for the corruption by losing special elections throughout the next year, maybe that causes them to rethink their complicity,' Senate Chris Murphy told The Times. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
