House Democrats mounted an unusual, day-long "read-in" on the House floor beginning the morning of 1 July to protest a 940-page Republican reconciliation measure they have branded the "Big Ugly Bill." Representative Yass Ansari started the public reading at 8 a.m. and was joined throughout the day and overnight by colleagues including Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Steven Horsford and others, who took turns reciting text from the legislation in a bid to draw attention to its contents before an expected vote. Democratic lawmakers contend the bill would revoke Affordable Care Act or Medicaid coverage from roughly 17 million people, impose what they call the largest cut to federal food assistance on record, and eliminate “millions” of construction jobs tied to infrastructure programs. They argue the package prioritises tax benefits for wealthier Americans while reducing support for children, seniors, veterans and low-income families. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said every Democrat will oppose the legislation and that four Republican defections would be enough to defeat it in the narrowly divided chamber. Party leaders framed the marathon reading as an effort to pressure moderate Republicans ahead of the floor vote, though GOP sponsors maintain the bill reins in federal spending. As of Wednesday afternoon, Democrats were continuing their public reading while lobbying for the pivotal votes needed to block the measure.