The House Ways and Means Committee voted 26-19 to approve the tax part of the legislation after a marathon markup meeting that lasted more than 17 hours.

The vote came after an all-night debate that saw at least one lawmaker fall asleep at his post. Republicans rejected a series of proposed changes by opposition Democrats, who blasted the bill as a wasteful giveaway to the wealthy that would shred health and food benefits for the poor and worsen the nation's financial standing.

Republicans who control the U.S. House of Representatives kicked off public debate on major pillars of President Donald Trump's budget legislation on Tuesday, weighing choices about tax policies and spending on popular social safety-net programs that may strain their narrow majority.