President Donald Trump’s “one big, beautiful bill” suffered a temporary defeat Friday afternoon following four conservative Republicans’ decision to tank
President Donald Trump’s “one big, beautiful bill” suffered a temporary defeat Friday afternoon following four conservative Republicans’ decision to tank the package, citing insufficient reforms to Medicaid and Biden-era green energy tax credits.
The president’s vast tax and spending package failed to clear the House Budget Committee during a vote of 16 to 21, with Republican Reps. Chip Roy of Texas, Ralph Norman of South Carolina, Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma and Andrew Clyde of Georgia, joining all Democrats in voting “no” on the bill. The lawmakers, who are all members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, said they would continue to negotiate with House GOP leadership throughout the weekend as House Speaker Mike Johnson looks to pass the bill in the chamber by his self-imposed deadline of Memorial Day.
A fifth Republican, Budget Committee Vice Chairman Lloyd Smucker of Pennsylvania, also voted “no,” albeit for procedural reasons.
The bill’s failure to advance out of the committee marks an early setback for Trump’s legislative agenda, much of which is included in the package, such as the extension of the president’s 2017 tax cuts, new border security funding and prohibiting Medicaid funding for child sex change procedures. Trump called on House Budget Committee Republicans to vote “yes” on the bill prior to the vote — only to see four Freedom Caucus members temporarily kill the legislation’s momentum.
