Trump hails tax cut triumph in Congress

Donald Trump celebrated a "historic" victory Wednesday as the US Congress passed a massive Republican tax cut plan, handing the president his first major legislative achievement since taking office nearly a year ago.

The House of Representatives voted along party lines to greenlight a $1.5 trillion overhaul that will impact every corner of the US economy through dramatic tax cuts for corporations and temporary reductions for individuals.

Opposition Democrats have branded the tax plan a giveaway to the wealthiest that risks blowing a hole in the national debt, but the revamp fulfills a core Trump campaign pledge to redirect money from government coffers into the pockets of working Americans.

"We broke every record," a jubilant Trump told scores of elated Republicans gathered at the White House for a victory lap, thanking them for driving through "the largest tax cut in the history of our country."

"We are making America great again," he declared, in a melee of smiles and handshakes with lawmakers -- who took turns to sing the president's praises.

"Something this big, something this generational, something this profound could not have been done without exquisite presidential leadership," gushed House Speaker Paul Ryan, as fellow lawmakers applauded.

The most sweeping rewrite of the US tax code in decades, the bill represents Trump's most important legislative victory in the 11 months since his inauguration, until now marked by the stinging failure to repeal his predecessor's health care law.