It came down to a single vote.

Two Republicans voted no – Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Warren Davidson (R-Ohio). One voted present – Freedom Caucus chair Andy Harris (R-Md.).

Two failed to vote – Reps. Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.) and David Schweikert (R-Ariz.). The Empire state rep apparently fell asleep in the back of the room during the 20-hour markup session, according to Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.). No reason was given for the lack of vote from Schweikert.

And all 10 Pennsylvania GOP members voted yes.

Expect the ramifications of the early AM vote on Thursday to be felt until November of next year.

The four Keystone State representatives from swing districts – Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-01), Ryan Mackenzie (R-07), Rob Bresnahan (R-08), and Scott Perry (R-10) – will be asked to defend their vote incessantly over the next 18 months. Their success in doing so to their constituents could decide control of the U.S. House in the 120th Congress.

The Republican Party quickly coalesced around the quartet.

“Brian Fitzpatrick is delivering on his promises and putting common sense back in Washington. Fitzpatrick’s vote delivers real results for the people of Pennsylvania by lowering taxes, securing our border, and restoring integrity to the federal government,” said NRCC Spokeswoman Maureen O’Toole in a press release. Three other releases were received by PoliticsPA with only the name changed – i.e. Ryan Mackenzie, Rob Bresnahan, Scott Perry.

Democrats were not so kind with their rebuttal.

“Brian Fitzpatrick, Ryan Mackenzie, Rob Bresnahan, Scott Perry, and House Republicans have broken their promise to help the people they were elected to serve,” said DCCC chair Suzan DelBene in a release. “Their vote to pass a singularly devastating piece of legislation that will hurt millions of working people, all to pay for hundreds of billions in tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy is the latest example of their complete abandonment of everyday Americans in favor of billionaires. By passing the largest cut to Medicaid in history, Fitzpatrick, Mackenzie, Bresnahan, Perry, and their fellow Republicans are ripping away health care from millions of Americans and levying a de facto hidden tax on working class families. Their cruel cuts to nutrition assistance will end up taking away food from millions of children at the dinner table and the school cafeteria. And in another example of Republicans’ broken promises, their bill would force billions in cuts to Medicare, harming seniors.”

Critics of H.R. 1 shine the light on the fact that the wealthiest Americans stand to benefit in many ways more than rank-and-file Americans. The line making the rounds is that those making $1 million or more would get nearly $90,000 in tax breaks each year, while a family earning less than $50,000 would get less than $1 a day.

The quartet defended their morning affirmative votes to their districts.

Fitzpatrick said he voted yes to prevent a tax increase, provide relief on taxes on overtime and tips, and to make investments in our national security.

“From the outset, I drew clear red lines: no changes to Medicare or Social Security, no reductions to the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP), and no inclusion of a per capita cap on spending state-by-state,” he wrote in a statement. “I held firm – and the bill reflects that. Federal dollars spent on Medicaid will increase every year through 2034, preserving critical services for our most vulnerable neighbors. This will be a red-line for me before supporting final passage.”

Mackenzie echoed Fitzpatrick’s sentiments, adding “After years of wide-open borders, uncontrolled inflation, and government spending run amok, this budget finally addresses the needs of our community and our country. We’re delivering tax relief, boosting take-home pay, and improving the vitality and efficiency of critical programs. These are the commonsense solutions that people across the Greater Lehigh Valley are counting on.”

Bresnahan said the bill prevents Washington from “stacking the deck against the working-class people of Northeastern Pennsylvania.”

“As someone who has run a family business and signed the front of a paycheck, I know how damaging tax hikes and red tape can be. This bill gives small businesses the certainty they need to grow and hire. This legislation is about taking care of Main Street, not Wall Street.”

Perry told The Daily Signal that he voted for the bill – known as “One Big, Beautiful Bill” – but he is not very happy about it.

“My biggest reservations, quite honestly, generally still remain,” he told The Daily Signal shortly after voting for the budget reconciliation bill. “All the savings happen in the 10-year window, but of course, as always in Washington D.C., at the end of the ten-year window.”

The central Pennsylvania representative said that the House Freedom Caucus had received an offer from the White House on Wednesday to including more aggressive cost-saving provisions in the bill.

While the White House denies the action, Perry says the offer was real and staff backtracked to save face.

“At this point I think it’s kind of moot, but just suffice to say that it was relevant enough. I will say, I will – no, I better not,” he said, when asked for information.

“It was just relevant enough to get the vast majority of the people that had significant concerns from our viewpoint to ‘yes,’ but it never materialized once we agreed to it.”

Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) went out on a limb and made a prediction about the November 2026 election.

​“I think that when the story is told of the 119th Congress, when the votes are ultimately cast on that first Tuesday in November next year, that this day m​a​y very well turn out to be the day that House Republicans lost control of the United States House of Representatives,” he said.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro weighed in on the passage of the bill, expressed his concerns for the potential impacts on the Commonwealth and its citizens and had a plea for the Senate.

“This is a bad bill and it will have negative and lasting impacts on our Commonwealth. Any lawmaker in DC who thinks the Commonwealth can backfill this massive hole they’ve created is wrong – and these cuts will have real life consequences for Pennsylvanians. As this heads to the Senate for a vote, I hope common sense and a concern for the people of Pennsylvania will prevail.”

Additional calls to Sens. John Fetterman and Dave McCormick came from around the state.

“We are counting on the U.S. Senate to block this outrageously expensive and horrifically cruel Bill from going into effect, and turning lives upside down for people across our state and country. The more than 40,000 healthcare workers we represent are calling on our Senators McCormick and Fetterman to vote no to kicking millions of our patients, friends, and family members off their insurance and gutting the services and care we need,” said SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania, the state’s largest union of nurses and caregivers.

Fetterman tweeted on Wednesday that he is a ‘no’ when the bill comes to the floor.

“Here’s who will be affected: Hungry Pennsylvanians. Millions of Pennsylvanians who rely on medical care from Medicaid. Rural Pennsylvania hospitals. Pennsylvania’s farmers. That’s why I’ll strenuously vote against this.”

McCormick has been a reliable vote for Republicans and tweeted, “With the action of the House, we are one step closer to providing tax relief, strengthening the border, and doubling down on energy independence. I look forward to reviewing the House bill and getting to work to get this done.”

Stephen Herzenberg, Executive Director of the independent Keystone Research Center, said “The proposed Medicaid work requirements could cause thousands of Pennsylvanians to lose healthcare coverage, and the cuts to SNAP would harm food security for our most vulnerable residents. Additionally, the bill’s rollback of clean energy credits undermines Pennsylvania’s progress toward a sustainable energy future and threatens potential job growth in renewable energy, manufacturing, and construction.

Rep. Dan Meuser (R-09), a potential gubernatorial candidate in 2026, said that the passage of the bill is just the beginning.

“I believe we were elected to work with President Trump to improve our country—to improve our national security, strengthen our economy, bring fiscal sanity to our budget, deliver accountability, and lead the world toward peace. And frankly, to bring back common sense so people start trusting the government again. That’s what this Big Beautiful Bill is about. It sets the stage to make our country as great as it should be and deliver the America First agenda that we were elected to implement.”

The bill now heads to the Senate where Republicans hold a 53-47 majority. It is expected that some changes are forthcoming, however, President Donald Trump is pressuring Senate Majority Leader John Thune to avoid such alterations.