See How NJ Reps Voted On Trump's 'Big, Beautiful' Budget Bill

NEW JERSEY — The “big, beautiful” budget bill that President Donald Trump has been cheering for took a major step forward on Thursday, with every House Democrat in New Jersey voting against it – and each of their Republican peers voting “yes.”

After a late-night session that dragged into the early morning hours, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 215-214 to pass the Republican-led federal spending plan (watch video footage below).

The legislation advances Trump’s agenda on immigration, energy, military spending and the national debt. It would permanently extend Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, cut federal spending by $1.5 trillion over 10 years, and pump an extra $300 billion into defense and border security.

The bill now heads to the Senate for a vote, where it is expected to see more changes. Both chambers will have to reconcile the differences before passing the bill to the president’s desk.

New Jersey’s nine Democratic House members voted against the spending plan, and the state’s three Republican House members voted for it:

• YES – Tom Kean Jr., Chris Smith, Jeff Van Drew
• NO – Herbert Conaway, Josh Gottheimer, LaMonica McIver, Rob Menendez Jr., Donald Norcross, Frank Pallone Jr., Nellie Pou, Mikie Sherrill, Bonnie Watson Coleman

Thursday’s vote result among the Garden State’s House members was identical to a vote taken on a previous version of the bill in February. See Related: House Budget Bill Could Slash Medicaid (Here’s How NJ Reps Voted)

Trump’s vision of a “big, beautiful bill” has inspired outrage and cheers, largely along party lines.

U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew (NJ-2), who voted “yes” on the latest House bill, has insisted that the Republican spending plan will not cut Medicaid, Medicare or Social Security.

“I have said it before, and I will say it again now – I will never support any legislation that cuts benefits to eligible, legal Americans or institutions,” Van Drew said after a House budget vote in April.

The congressman repeated his message after Thursday's vote, noting that the bill may see changes before it crosses the finish line.

“I have been heavily involved in negotiations for the House version of this bill, and I will continue to closely monitor the bill as changes are made in the Senate to ensure there are no cuts to the programs our people rely on,” Van Drew continued. “I have said it before, and I will say it again: we owe it to hardworking American families to ensure these vital programs remain strong and funded.”

The promises from Van Drew and other Republican leaders haven’t held water with New Jersey’s House Democrats, however, with several of them blasting their colleagues for voting “yes.”

“Once again, Donald Trump and House Republicans are pushing a budget that prioritizes tax cuts for billionaires over the needs of working families,” said Rep. Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11).

“This package slashes $736 billion from Medicaid and will take away health coverage for at least 13.7 million Americans, including hundreds of thousands of New Jerseyans,” Sherrill said. “It eliminates food assistance for vulnerable communities, strips funding from students, and pulls back funding for programs that help lower energy costs, all while adding $3.3 trillion to the national deficit through massive tax cuts for Trump’s donors like Elon Musk.”

The budget also fails to deliver on Trump’s campaign promise to restore the SALT property tax deduction, Sherrill said.

Rep. LaMonica McIver (NJ-10) said that “gutting programs that make food more affordable, health care accessible, and life better for families across this country is despicable.”

“This Republican caucus is more committed to bowing to Donald Trump and giving handouts billionaires than they are to serving and standing up for everyday Americans,” McIver said.

Rep. Rob Menendez Jr. (NJ-8) called the bill “terrible” and said it contains “the biggest cuts to Medicaid and food assistance in our country’s history.”

Rep. Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) also panned the GOP spending plan.

“There’s a reason Republicans have been fighting among themselves for months over their extreme-right budget bill: even they know it’s a disaster for our families, children and seniors,” Gottheimer argued.

“As far-right extremists continue to fight in the Senate about how deep to gut our most critical programs, one thing is clear: Jersey children, seniors, and families will pay the price,” he added.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy also blasted the vote, saying it will hurt people across the Garden State.

“In one fell swoop, this bill would rip away health care coverage from struggling families, cut food assistance for our most vulnerable neighbors and children, and raise costs on hardworking Americans,” Murphy said.

“Congressmen Kean, Smith and Van Drew shamefully voted to approve these devastating cuts and caved on fully repealing the SALT deduction in order to shower billionaires and gun manufacturers with budget-busting tax breaks that will explode our deficit,” the governor added.

Meanwhile, this week’s vote got a round of applause from its biggest supporter in the White House.

“This is arguably the most significant piece of legislation that will ever be signed in the history of our country,” Trump wrote on social media.

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