Republicans muscle Trump's sweeping tax-cut and spending bill through Congress

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, centre, celebrates with fellow Republicans after final passage of Trump's signature bill of tax breaks and spending cuts. Picture: J. Scott Applewhite/AP

US president Donald Trump's tax-cut legislation cleared its final hurdle in the US Congress on Thursday, as the Republican-controlled House of Representatives narrowly approved a massive package that would fund his domestic agenda and push millions of Americans off health insurance. 

The 218-214 vote amounts to a significant victory for the Republican president that will fund his immigration crackdown, make his 2017 tax cuts permanent and deliver new tax breaks that he promised during his 2024 campaign.