Politics
BREAKING: Trump Talks With OBBB Holdouts, Johnson Provides Timetable On Final Passage
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) announced Thursday morning that the chamber “has the votes” to pass the Trump-backed Big Beautiful Bill after the president engaged in extensive talks with the remaining holdouts.
The formal vote to bring the resolution to the floor hit an immediate snag Wednesday night after four Republican members voted against the measure. The “no” coalition consisted of Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Keith Self (R-TX), Victoria Spartz (R-IA) and Andrew Clyde (R-GA), a bizarre coalition that included two representatives in deep red districts (Self, Clyde), one relatively safe red district (Spartz) and one swing district that has often voted Democrat in presidential years (Fitzpatrick).
Fitzpatrick, along with Rep. David Valadao (R-CA), was seen as one of the most likely “no” voters due to the partisan lean of his district ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The Pennsylvania lawmaker reportedly left the floor and was not in touch with House leadership as they attempted to flip detractors, though negotiations remained open with the other three.
While all this was playing out, eight Republican lawmakers had not yet voted. The majority of remaining potential detractors were aligned with the House Freedom Caucus, the conservative wing of the Republican Party that often prioritizes fiscal responsibility.
After hours of gridlock, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) flipped his vote from “yes” to “no.” Massie has long expressed his opposition to the bill and his vote against was long expected.
Not long after midnight, a number of the remaining holdouts, along with Reps. Spartz and Massie, left the floor for an undisclosed meeting. Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN), one of the holdouts at the time, told reporters that they “shouldn’t take a nap” before leaving the floor.
Just before 2 a.m. Eastern Time, Speaker Johnson announced that Republicans “had the votes” to both end debate and pass the bill outright. President Donald Trump reportedly spoke with the remaining holdouts, along with Rep. Massie and other “no” voters, just before the announcement was made.
“They went to finish up their work, and they’ll be part of the team,” Johnson said of the holdouts while speaking with reporters. “We had the President himself, we had the Vice President, we had we had attorneys and agencies answering questions. I mean, it was very detailed and I think, very productive in the end,” he added.
During the conversation, Rep. Massie reportedly told the president that he was open to supporting the legislation if President Trump “stopped attacking him,” according to a report from The Hill. Trump had previously announced that he had green-lit a primary challenge to the congressman’s re-election campaign over his opposition to the bill.
After Speaker Johnson and GOP Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) met with Spartz and Massie, the speaker told reporters that the rules vote should be wrapped up around 3:30 a.m. Eastern Time. That vote will be followed by an hour of debate, which is expected to be taken up exclusively by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), followed by final passage early Thursday morning.
