House Republican leaders delayed a final vote on a Senate-approved budget-resolution framework that would enact President Donald Trump’s sweeping legislative agenda after the bill failed to move forward amid fierce opposition from conservatives, who said the spending cuts of the Senate measure are too low.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.), who previously remained optimistic that the bill would pass Wednesday evening, said the House would vote on the measure Thursday morning. That leaves the lower chamber with one legislative day remaining before representatives depart for a two-week recess.
“We are working through some good ideas and solutions to get everybody there; it may not happen tonight but probably by tomorrow morning,” Johnson told reporters after several House Republicans met with GOP leaders. “This is part of the process, this is a very constructive process, I’m very optimistic about the outcome of this one big, beautiful bill, and this is just one of the steps in getting there.”
The House was initially scheduled to vote on the measure, starting around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, after a procedural vote narrowly passed. But the delay kept getting extended, as hardline conservatives remained opposed to the measure.
The Senate’s budget resolution requires a minimum of $4 billion in spending cuts over the next ten years, while the House’s budget measure seeks at least $1.5 trillion in cuts — a much higher target in comparison. House Republicans holding out on the bill argue that the Senate’s plan would further raise the national debt.
The budget reconciliation bill would allow for more than $5 trillion in tax cuts and would extend Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which is set to expire by the end of the year. The program’s expiration would cause a 22 percent tax hike for Americans, House GOP leadership posited.
The reconciliation bill would deliver on the Trump administration’s other goals, such as boosting border security and defense spending. It could also be used to fulfill Trump’s campaign promises to eliminate taxes on overtime pay and tips for workers.
Meanwhile, some moderate Republicans were wary of the $880 billion in cuts to health and energy programs — Democrats claimed these would lead to cuts in Medicare and Medicaid benefits for Americans who rely on those federal programs.
Leading up to the vote, Trump repeatedly urged his House GOP allies to fall in line on the Senate-passed budget bill that he endorsed. The president claims that the national economy will “boom” following passage of the bill extending his tax cuts.
“They have to do this. We have to get there. I think we are there. We had a great meeting today,” Trump said at the National Republican Congressional Committee’s Tuesday evening fundraiser in Washington, D.C. “But just in case there are a couple of Republicans out there. You just gotta get there. Close your eyes and get there. It’s a phenomenal bill. Stop grandstanding. Just stop grandstanding.”
The delay in voting for the budget reconciliation bill comes at a turbulent time for the stock market, which last rose significantly after Trump announced on Wednesday a 90-day pause on tariffs levied against foreign countries willing to negotiate. In the first few market days after Trump revealed his “Liberation Day” tariffs last week, stocks plummeted drastically.
Johnson’s statement came after several House Republicans, including members of the House Freedom Caucus, walked into a private meeting with GOP leaders.
During a debate on the House floor, Representative Chip Roy (R., La.) reiterated that he would not vote for an “irresponsible” budget from the Senate. Representative Ralph Norman (R., S.C.) similarly said the Senate’s math isn’t adding up. “It doesn’t make financial sense,” Norman said earlier Wednesday.
Roy and Norman, both of whom are members of the House Freedom Caucus, voted in favor of teeing up the bill for a floor debate and final vote in a procedural motion. They are expected to vote against the bill, unless they can be convinced otherwise.