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Today β€” 2 July 2025News

GOP breaks record for longest House vote with "big, beautiful bill"

2 July 2025 at 19:01

House Republicans broke the record Wednesday for the lower chamber's longest vote in history after more than seven hours of grueling negotiations over President Trump's "big, beautiful bill."

Why it matters: The extended vote time reflects the severe reluctance among some on the House GOP's right flank to support the marquee tax and spending package.


  • The previous record was in 2021, when the House took seven hours and six minutes on a procedural vote related to then-President Biden's Build Back Better legislation.
  • House Republicans overtook that record at 9:15pm ET on Wednesday, then went another 15 minutes before finally closing the vote.
  • Assistant House Minority Leader Joe Neguse (D-Colo.) needled Republicans on the vote time by suggesting they were violating House rules by holding the vote open for so long.

State of play: The lengthy vote came about as a result of negotiations between House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and members of the right-wing Freedom Caucus.

  • The hardliners are upset that the Senate bill adds more to the deficit than the House-passed version while also excluding several key provisions they secured to cut green energy tax credits and Medicaid.
  • Some moderates have also had concerns about the bill, saying it cuts too much into Medicaid and other key programs.

Kristi Noem seeks advice on ousting DHS employees who "don't like us"

2 July 2025 at 11:27

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said during a public meeting on Wednesday that she is trusting advisers to provide counsel on how to fire people who "don't like us."

Why it matters: Noem's comment sends a chilling message to the DHS, which has gone through a mass exodus and public backlash over its immigration policies.


Zoom in: During the first Homeland Security Advisory Council meeting held at the DHS headquarter, Noem gave opening remarks by saying there is a lot of people in the department "that don't support what we are doing."

  • "What we have to be aware of is that we're working with the department that for the last four years hasn't been required to do much," Noem said.
  • She then blamed former Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for telling DHS workers "not to do a lot."

Zoom out: The Trump administration has been increasingly vocal about drastically restructuring the DHS.

  • Noem has privately supported the idea of shrinking FEMA's role in disaster planning, per CNN. She later walked back the claim.
  • Officials staffing the U.S. legal immigration system have been asked to volunteer to help deportation operations spearheaded by ICE, according to CBS.

Context: The advisory council consists of 22 members appointed by President Trump and Secretary Noem. The council provides the secretary of Homeland Security with real-time, real-world and independent advice on homeland security operations.

  • Notable members include former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, billionaire Marc Andreessen, and Fox News host Mark Levin.

It's not just Tesla — Rivian's deliveries were down last quarter, too

2 July 2025 at 17:45
Rivian electric truck in California in 2023.
Rivian shared its second-quarter financial results on Wednesday.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

  • Rivian Automotive reported its 2025 second-quarter production and delivery results.
  • Rivian produced 5,979 vehicles and delivered 10,661 vehicles this quarter, a year-over-year decline from Q2 2024.
  • Tesla's deliveries also dropped in Q2, just missing analysts' expectations.

It's not just Tesla.

Rivian Automotive's Q2 deliveries were also down. The company shared its production and delivery results on Wednesday. It delivered 10,661 vehicles in the quarter ending on June 30. That's a noticeable drop compared to the same time last year, when Rivian delivered 13,790 vehicles. Reuters reported a 22% decline.

Its stock dipped on Wednesday and closed down 4.45%.

The company shared that it produced 5,979 vehicles at its Illinois-based manufacturing facility during the last quarter. The company produced 9,612 vehicles during the same time in 2024.

"Production was limited during the second quarter in preparation for model year 2026 vehicles expected to launch later this month," the company said on Wednesday. "Production and delivery results for the quarter are in line with Rivian's outlook."

Rivian said it received a $1 billion equity investment from Volkswagen Group as part of a joint venture between the two companies.

Tesla, led by Elon Musk, also shared delivery numbers on Wednesday.

The company delivered 384,000 electric vehicles during its second quarter, which missed Wall Street analysts' expectations. It marks the largest quarterly decline in pure numbers in Tesla's history.

The electric vehicle industry faces headwinds as it navigates consumers' uncertainty and the fallout from President Donald Trump's tariffs.

Tariffs and consumer concerns aren't the only obstacles that could trip up the electric vehicle industry.

Trump's domestic tax and spending bill would also affect the clean energy sector. The bill, if passed and signed into law, could end the $7,500 EV tax credit on new leases and electric vehicle sales by the end of September, according to Reuters. Although Rivian didn't qualify for the tax credit, the company relied on a leasing loophole to utilize it. The potential loss of the tax credit could impact companies like Tesla, though.

Representatives for Rivian did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Read the original article on Business Insider

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