Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) plan for “one big beautiful” reconciliation bill may be in trouble as he faces pushback from House Republicans across the ideological spectrum, with some concerned over cuts to beneficiary programs and others arguing the budget resolution does not go far enough.
House leadership is hoping to move swiftly on approving its budget resolution, with a vote set for Tuesday evening, the Washington Examiner confirmed. But Johnson is getting hit from both sides, as both centrists and hardliners’ skepticism of the bill is leading to a possible delay in the process.
The resolution passed out of the Rules Committee on Monday evening, setting up for a procedural vote in the early afternoon on Tuesday and a final passage vote later that night — as of now.
Johnson told reporters Monday “We’ll see” when asked if he still planned to hold the budget vote Tuesday despite the math not leaning in his favor.
“We got a lot of meetings tonight and we’ll see about the timing, but it’ll happen this week,” the speaker said.
For Johnson, this pushback is all too familiar, particularly when it involves contentious bills such as spending deals, foreign aid, and now, reconciliation. He held multiple meetings in his office on Monday for holdouts to come and discuss their concerns as GOP leadership continues whipping the resolution.
But that could be fruitless, as Reps. Tim Burchett (R-TX), Victoria Spartz (R-IN), and Thomas Massie (R-KY) said they will not vote for the resolution as it stands. With a razor-thin majority and only one vote to lose, the resolution is on track to sink before it hits the floor.
Burchett noted he could be swayed in his vote before the bill hits the floor, but his problem with the bill is spending.
Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) said he is a “lean no,” arguing the bill does not “go far enough.”
“Donald Trump won the battleground states and the popular vote because people issued a mandate,” Ogles said. “Business as usual should be over, and this town has a hard time breaking the norm.”
In addition to the three “no’s” and Ogles, over a dozen Republicans have said they are undecided or have reservations about the resolution that would require between $1.5 trillion and $2 trillion in cuts, as well as a $4 trillion debt ceiling increase.
Holdouts include many Hispanic Republicans or those who represent districts with significant Latino populations. Eight members — Reps. Tony Gonzales (R-TX), Monica De La Cruz (R-TX), David Valadao (R-CA), Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ), Rob Bresnahan (R-PA), and Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) and GOP Delegates James Moylan of Guam and Kimberlyn King-Hinds of the Northern Mariana Islands — wrote a letter last week urging Johnson not to slash Medicaid in his quest for spending cuts, noting their constituents rely heavily on the program and its potential impact on working-class families.
“I wouldn’t say I’m a yes. I wouldn’t say no. I’d say I’m a solid undecided,” Gonzales told reporters coming out of a meeting between Johnson, members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and other members on the fence.
Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL), another holdout, also said he remained undecided after leaving the meeting. Ciscomani said he still has reservations but called the meeting with the speaker “productive.”
Malliotakis told reporters earlier on Monday she was undecided and looking for “clarity” so that her constituents are “not going to get harmed in this process because of unintended consequences.”
Moderate members, including Malliotakis, met with Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), and Energy and Commerce Committee Brett Guthrie (R-KY) late Monday night to hear a presentation on “alternative savings,” as several swing district and state lawmakers are concerned that the $880 billion in proposed committee cuts will likely run right through Medicaid.
Leaving the meeting late Monday, Malliotakis said that she is now leaning yes on voting for the resolution.
“It was productive and we’re getting our concerns addressed, and I think we’re getting to a place where we feel a little more comfortable, and that’s good news,” the New York congresswoman said.
The pushback from centrists is a change of pace, as hard-line conservatives and budget hawks in the House Freedom Caucus are typically the thorns in Johnson’s side. But hard-liners are more likely to get behind the resolution after the caucus successfully pushed for steeper spending cuts than leadership’s originally proposed $1 trillion in cuts.
“The House Freedom Caucus secured a budget resolution that has 7 times more spending cuts than the original Republican plan,” the caucus wrote on X earlier this month showing their support for the bill.
But, Spartz said in a post to X that it is not enough for her to support the legislation, acknowledging the work put in by Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), the leading advocate of steeper cuts, and Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-TX).
“We are taking a giant step towards bending the curve on the mandatory spending and we have a framework that commits to a deficit neutrality, which are two of her big issues,” Arrington told reporters Monday in response to Spartz’s holdout.
To move the pendulum on the reconciliation process, a budget resolution must pass both the House and the Senate chambers. Despite the Senate successfully adopting the first of its two-bill plan, the House is still pushing for the one-bill approach — relying heavily on an endorsement from President Donald Trump last week, who argued it “implements my FULL America First Agenda, EVERYTHING, not just parts of it!”
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The speaker is looking for prayers to make his ambitious agenda a reality, he said during a conversation with Fox News’s Guy Benson at an Americans For Prosperity event Monday.
“This is a prayer request. Just pray this through for us, because it is very high stakes, and everybody knows that,” Johnson said.