Politics
JUST IN: GOP Lawmakers Betray Trump, Kill ‘Big, Beautiful’ Tax Cut Bill
A handful of fiscally conservative Republicans broke with President Donald Trump mid-Friday, voting against committee passage of a budget packed with tax cuts for most Americans because it is not sufficiently paid for.
A U.S. House Budget Committee vote saw Republican Reps. Chip Roy (R-TX), Josh Brecheen (R-OK), Andrew Clyde (R-GA), Ralph Norman (R-SC), and Lloyd Smucker (R-PA) join with all Democrats in voting 21-16 against the tax cut bill. The vote stalls, for now, Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) attempt to bring the legislation to the floor of the chamber for a full vote as soon as next week.
The hardline lawmakers defended their decision to oppose the bill, warning it adds too much to the nation’s $36 trillion national debt without offsetting the four-year tax breaks with corresponding cuts to government services. A GOP-led proposal for trimming hundreds of millions of dollars from Medicaid has still fallen well short of the billions it will cost in the long term, according to budget analysts.
However, the holdouts have said they are willing to remain in Washington, D.C., all weekend to continue negotiations, a sign that they believe progress may still be made.
Committee Chair Jodey Arrington (R-TX) said following the vote that he does not believe any further action will occur Friday.
“I do not anticipate us coming back today… go home,” he shouted over crosstalk in the hearing room.
Coming in at a mammoth 1,116 pages, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act has continued to divide Republican lawmakers over its spending priorities. Moderates like Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) have hesitated in supporting the bill over lower-than-expected increases to the state and local tax (SALT) deduction, a key priority for well-heeled suburban voters in his district.
Anti-war conservatives like Tim Burchett (R-TN), meanwhile, have scoffed at earmarks for the Pentagon, arguing they conflict with the MAGA agenda of reducing America’s involvement in costly overseas conflicts.
Passage is shaping up to be a key test of Johnson’s ability to govern. He has survived several scattershot attempts to oust him from the speakership while maintaining the trust of President Trump, but the president has also instructed him to complete passage of the bill by a self-imposed deadline of Memorial Day.
After the House, Trump’s signature legislation must make its way through the Senate, where Republicans are more skeptical about some of the House GOP’s measures. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) has stated publicly that she will oppose any attempt to restrict Medicaid availability for low-income residents in Alaska.
She, as well as other holdouts like Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Rand Paul (R-KY), and Susan Collins (R-ME), give Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) little room to secure passage in the face of total Democratic opposition. He may instead choose to pick off support from moderate Democrats like John Fetterman (D-PA), who has grown increasingly comfortable with bucking his party since Trump took office and carried his home state of Pennsylvania.
