In a key vote over the weekend, the House Budget Committee voted to approve Republicans’ budget reconciliation package, which President Donald Trump has termed the “Big, Beautiful Bill” that contains most of his domestic spending priorities. Ahead of a critical vote on the House floor this week, Trump is heading to the Capitol to meet with lawmakers and personally lobby for the measure’s passage through the chamber.
The bill survived the Budget Committee on a 17-16 vote, with four Republicans voting “present.” The major hurdle for House Speaker Mike Johnson has been creating a compromise between conservative Republicans who want greater spending cuts and moderate Republicans who are wary about any changes to government services and welfare programs under the bill.
The conservative House Freedom Caucus said in a statement following the Budget Committee vote that the bill still “does not yet meet the moment.” Given the GOP’s two-seat majority in the House, even a few Republican members have the power to derail the entire legislation – something the four Republicans who voted “present” made abundantly clear.
Proposed suggestions to cut spending through the bill include accelerating the introduction of expanded Medicaid work requirements to December 31, 2026, and phasing out the Biden Inflation Reduction Act’s “green energy” tax credits more quickly.
Meanwhile, blue-state Republicans are insistent on raising SALT deduction caps by significantly more than the hardline conservative House Freedom Caucus (HFC) has said it is willing to support. While House leadership has proposed a compromise where the deduction would rise from $10,000 to $30,000, Republicans from high-tax states like New York and California have demanded the limit be raised to $100,000 for single filers and $200,000 for married couples.
Another sticking point is the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) formula, which determines the federal government’s share of the cost of Medicaid services in each state. The HFC and other more conservative members want a change in the formula that would force states to cover more of the cost of Medicaid expansion, while more moderate Republicans have remained cool on the idea.
With the floor vote scheduled for Wednesday, President Trump is heading to the Capitol on Tuesday to meet with lawmakers and attempt to smooth over concerns about the bill. “The MAGA policies in this bill, like the largest tax cuts in history, massive border security funding, and $1.6 trillion in fiscal savings, are why Republicans currently have the majority in Congress right now,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on X.
GOP leadership has maintained that it wants to have the legislation on Trump’s desk by July 4. Johnson has warned that he is willing to keep lawmakers in Washington over Memorial Day weekend if they cannot pass the bill on Wednesday.
However, even if the House does pass the bill, there are still some potential pitfalls ahead. The Senate is likely to make its own changes to the legislation, which could upset compromises reached in the House. That amended legislation would then have to pass the House again, threatening to set off a new standoff between conservative and moderate Republicans.
Nonetheless, Republicans do have the advantage of President Trump as a unifying figure within the party. Trump won a sweeping mandate from voters last November and has repeatedly flexed his influence over Congress early in his second term.
The White House on Tuesday morning released a list of “20 reasons why Congress must unite behind the one Big, Beautiful Bill” that is sure to garner plenty of attention on Capitol Hill. That document captures the essence of Trump’s primary pitch on the bill. While it doesn’t please everyone, it delivers an extension and expansion of Trump’s signature 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and eliminates taxes on tips and overtime, two key Trump campaign promises.
The bill also provides critical funding for Trump’s border security and deportation agenda, which Republicans urgently need to move on in order to break the obstruction created by liberal lawsuits and judges, along with providing funding to finish the border wall, hire new Border Patrol and ICE agents, and kick illegal aliens off Medicaid.
While there are still challenges ahead, the House vote on Wednesday is the first major hurdle for Trump’s Big, Beautiful Bill to clear. Americans will be eagerly watching to see if congressional Republicans can fulfill the task that voters sent them to Washington to accomplish.
Alan Jamison is the pen name of a political writer with extensive experience writing for several notable politicians and news outlets.
The only thing I will say on this subject at this point is it is increasingly looking like we are once again seeing how a Republican led Congress, with an overwhelming mandate from the People and a POTUS willing to do REAL reform is doing its best to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
This reconciliation bill was literally the easiest thing for the GOP led Congress to get done, as Democrats were NOT a factor in any of it. Yet once again we see how even the simplest of tasks, and this really was, can be badly butchered by the professional political class in Washington, D.C., when they really set their mind to it. Yes, I’m sure we’ll get something passed out of Congress in the end, but it will be a far cry from what could have been accomplished in terms of both spending reductions and tax cuts. What a golden opportunity wasted for no good reason. Truly sad.
Would like to see adding the removal of tax on Social Security to this bill. Wishful thinking at this point however.
It’s unfortunate that some of our Republican Representatives and Senators are NOT getting behind Trump on this. I for one and going to contact both my US Senator and Representatives to let them know what I, as their constituent, want.
As disappointing as this is, Trump should have included no tax on SSI & SSDI. These people can barely make it through a month after working a lifetime. Just not right.
The dang republican’s need to get their act together!!!! If they don’t, we will just back slide in Biden economics!!!!!!!
Let me explain a simple fact …. there is NO standoff between conservative and moderate Republicans, you are either MAGA or get the hell out of our way!
This is exactly why the Republicans lost control of things many years ago. This in-fighting is why we are where we are today. Get your act together fellows, I can’t wait to vote and get rid of the RINOS.
Work conditions should definitely be a requirement for those applying or receiving Medicaid benefits. Those who are capable need to work,some can even work, within restrictions by their physician if needed. Training or retraining should be provided to improve the needed workforce in trade,technical jobs.
Why isn’t AMAC talking about the debt ceiling and added 5 trillion we can’t afford that’s in this bill! Government goes bankrupt and all my retirement savings goes up in smoke!!! More CUTS need to be made and all of us must take more responsibility for ourselves! It’s called FREEDOM! Government shouldn’t replace Mom and Dad for adults!
For starters, those that are being referred to as moderate Republicans are, in reality, liberal Rhino republicans that have served the liberal far left democrats’ agendas. Those rhinos need to know that they serve us and not those liberal democrats, and that they had better support this bill or face our wrath. President Trump was elected for a reason: to run the White House exactly as he’s running it, and we know that they have been collecting millions from supporting those democrats. I wonder if they know that we know about the rhinos that collected millions from Ukraine. If they refuse to vote for the bill, it’ll be time to venture down to DC and let them know in person how we feel.
It makes me so angry that we do not have every darn Republican on board with this bill!! They are ruining our chance to keep control of DC for the next several terms. I have no idea what they are thinking and WHY they call themselves Republicans at all! It is hard to sit here and hear this news again and again and not know why these people are so obstinate. Are they taking money from the Marxist left or what??? If this does not pass, we are doomed.
If REPUBLICAN Trump haters don’t get off their duffs and begin to supporte the president and this administration soon, they will lose next year and the whole party will suffer because of it. Can then NOT walk and chew gum at the same time????? There are many bills and things for them to pass now!!! They were elected on the tails of President Trump’s victory to SUPPORT what We the People want…they’d better get their act together!!!
Will the bill pass in the House. I doubt it. Say it does will the senate pass it. Of course not the RINOs will not let it happen. They are just as against the citizens and America as the progressives. They all will be voted out. Only they believe they still have their constituents support. Wait till next year all you rep senators will be voted out by voting against this bill. Get a backbone and vote for the country and all of its people not your comfy cozy base in your home state. Especially those senators in Blue States should vote for this bill. Unite republicans. The dems are spreading lie after lie about this bill. All to regain power back over the people.
I cannot believe there is ONE ILLEGAL RECEIVING any American money for anything NOW! There should have been a clean sweep to cut them off! I also cannot believe ANY GOP moderate is holding out on President Trump bill. AND I’ll bet the NRNC is still giving the Moderate GOP’s champaign money. STOP STOP STOP this!!!!!!!!!!! THAT is exactly why I stopped donating money to the GOP’s at all levels.
Nobody is going to get 100% of their wishes. They need to hold their noses and vote YES. This will help get more Republicans elected next year and IF we nominate MAGAs at that time, we will be able to come back and do more.
What this Country needs is less government. We need to get rid of Congress and the Senators
Why aren’t the 4 RINOs named? These people need to get on board or get culled out.
Congress sucks up taxpayer dollars to pay its salary, DO NOTHING, and go on extended recess.
Will DC RNC DNC Estd Block bill?\
We need MAGA candidates to challenge the desenters in primaries.
To quote Justice Antonin Scalia “What in the world is a moderate interpredation of a constitutional text? Halfway between what it says and what we’d like it to say?”
The fight is between conservatives and non- conservatives. We need a united conservative front!
Like most of the comments posted here, I too, am upset about the republican holdouts. However, after seeing Section 43201 which is buried in this monstrosity of a bill, I have to say, send it back to committee and at the very least, DELETE this section of the bill. Please read this article. It should strike fear into the hearts of every freedom loving American:
Congress Will Vote to Strip States of Their Power to Regulate Artificial Intelligence—for the Next 10 Years –
I am thankful to have investigative journalists who actually read these bills. It would seem that most of our elected officials
I feel we let Congress do their work for what is best for the Country
The “big beautiful budget bill” does NOT fulfill a number of campaign promises President Trump promised in his campaign. Social Security is still going to be double taxed and the excuse of their being a 40% deduction “allowed” recipients not only doesn’t fulfill the campaign promise but also doesn’t apply to all recipients. The fact that ANY citizen can be double taxed should be viewed as criminal. Also, Trump promised a 40% reduction in the amount going to “defense” (like we have an armada off our coasts). He gets into office and then starts bloviating proudly about raising the defense budget above a trillion dollars a year. That for a nation with a 128% debt to GDP ratio is unforgiveable. Maybe provide some assistance to recent victims of severe storm damage before continuing to grant the little green clad Nazi in Ukraine will arms and cash. And as for Trumps insistance that the Ukraine conflict is “Bidens War”, then why during his first term did Trump spend tens upon tens of billions in arms and cash and training to the Nazi regime in………yep, Ukraine. I guess he will blame that on some surprise that Bolton or Pompeo sneaked past him.
The Ukraine conflict is now Trumps war and his not cutting those corrupt, evil Nazis off immediately upon taking office has set that fact in stone. When the Russians finally kill the last Ukrainian so as to keep NATO off their border, just as we would do everything possible to keep say, China from building a military base in Mexico, well then the loss will be part of President Trumps legacy. A real negative and not one invented by the mainstream media.
There is still time to save Trumps last term in office. Establish some joint proposal to make both countries some money with Russia and simply never mention the word “Ukraine” again. Heck, we could harvest the bounty of the Arctic with Russia and put to bed the STUPID notion of “conquering Greenland”.
I hope the members who are tempted to let perfect be the enemy of good enough keep the entire picture in mind. If a state and local tax deduction of $100k per filer were approved, the only thing that is good about it is that it does have some limit. This loop hole is giving states that live on taxes a blank check to raise taxes for spending so tax payers can have anything they want (some of which may be outrageous.) What is being attempted seems like a type of extortion..