Washington – President Trump’s domestic policy bill cleared another hurdle in the House late Sunday, after conservatives rebelled on Friday, citing concerns that the legislation does not include significant spending cuts.
The opposition stalled the bill while negotiations with Republican leadership continued over the weekend to try to get conservatives on board, culminating in the House Budget Committee scheduling a second vote late Sunday to bring it one step closer to a floor vote before the lower chamber’s self-imposed Memorial Day deadline.
Four conservative holdouts — Reps. Chip Roy of Texas, Ralph Norman of South Carolina, Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma, and Andrew Clyde of Georgia — voted present this time rather than against the legislation, allowing it to pass with 17 votes in favor and 16 against.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, said Sunday night that “talks have gone great” and that there will be some “minor modifications” to the legislation. He described Sunday’s outcome as “a big win.”
Johnson has remained committed to bringing the legislation, which would extend tax cuts from Mr. Trump’s first term while temporarily eliminating taxes on tips and overtime, to the floor before Memorial Day, despite some factions in his party being dissatisfied with the bill as originally written.
The tax increases, as well as increased military and border security spending, would be partially offset by cuts to Medicaid, food stamps, and clean energy subsidies.
The legislation’s next stop is the Rules Committee, which can make changes to the package. The Budget Committee was tasked with combining the various components of the reconciliation package into a single bill and could not make changes. Johnson said he expected the Rules Committee to take it up on Tuesday or Wednesday in preparation for a floor vote, which could take place Thursday.
However, the legislation, referred to as the “big, beautiful bill” by Mr. Trump, is not yet finalized.
Conservatives have criticized the bill’s failure to include work requirements for childless Medicaid recipients without disabilities before 2029. They also want to end clean energy subsidies under the Inflation Reduction Act, which was signed into law by former President Joe Biden.
A provision on the state and local tax deduction, known as SALT, is under fire from a group of Republicans from blue states, who have threatened to derail its passage if their demands are not met. It is also likely to face additional obstacles in the Senate.
“We have always acknowledged that towards the end, there will be more details to iron out,” Johnson informed the crowd. “We have a few more issues to address, but I am looking forward to some very thoughtful and productive discussions over the next few days. And I am confident that we will be able to complete and pass this by the original deadline.”
On Friday, five Republicans on the Budget Committee voted against advancing the bill, including the four who voted present on Sunday and Pennsylvania Representative Lloyd Smucker. Smucker explained that his “no” vote was a procedural move that would allow him to bring up the legislation again once their issues were resolved.
Roy told reporters following Sunday’s vote, “There is a lot more work to do this week.” Norman agreed, noting that progress had been made on Medicaid work requirements and subsidies through the Inflation Reduction Act.
When asked if it could pass the Rules Committee this week, Roy said, “We will see.”
Roy and Norman are also members of that committee.