Fiscal hawks send warning as 'big, beautiful bill' clears high-stakes vote: 'We have to do more to deliver'



The "big, beautiful bill" passed a key vote in the House Budget Committee Sunday night after five spending skeptics initially tanked the bill on Friday.

Rather than derail reconciliation a second time, four Republicans voted "present" to advance the bill in a 17-16 vote on Sunday night. On Friday, Republican Reps. Chip Roy of Texas, Ralph Norman of South Carolina, Andrew Clyde of Georgia, Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma, and Lloyd Smucker of Pennsylvania all voted against the bill, resulting in a 16-21 vote.

This time around, Roy, Norman, Clyde, and Brecheen voted "present" to advance the bill, while Smucker voted in favor of it. Notably, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) also met with Norman, Clyde, and Brecheen Sunday morning before the vote.

'This bill is a strong step forward. ... But we have to do more to deliver for the American people.'

RELATED: The Republicans who could derail reconciliation

Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas). Photo by Tom Brenner for the Washington Post via Getty Images

"Tonight, after a great deal of work and engagement over the weekend, the Budget Committee advanced a reconciliation bill that lays the foundation for much-needed tax relief, border security, and important spending reductions and reforms," Roy said in a statement. "Importantly, the bill now will move Medicaid work requirements forward and reduces the availability of future subsidies under the green new scam."

Reforms to the Medicaid work requirements were initially set to take effect in 2029, which was not nearly aggressive enough for fiscal hawks like Roy. Johnson reportedly offered the holdouts a 2026 implementation date, which may have swayed many of the holdouts to allow the bill to advance.

"But the bill does not yet meet the moment — leaving almost half of the green new scam subsidies continuing," Roy added. "More, it fails to end the Medicaid money laundering scam and perverse funding structure that provides seven times more federal dollars for each dollar of state spending for the able-bodied relative to the vulnerable."

"This all ultimately increases the likelihood of continuing deficits and non-Obamacare-expansion states like Texas expanding in the future," Roy added. "We can and must do better before we pass the final product."

RELATED: Vance tells Glenn Beck Congress needs to 'get serious' about codifying DOGE cuts

Alex Wroblewski/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The bill can be amended only in the Rules Committee, which will hold its hearing on Wednesday at 1:00 a.m. House Republican leadership members have also said they will refrain from sending lawmakers home for Memorial Day, which was their original target.

"As such, I joined with three of my colleagues to vote 'present' out of respect for the Republican Conference and the president to move the bill forward," Roy said. "It gives us the opportunity to work together this week to get the job done in light of the fact our bond rating was dropped yet again due to historic fiscal mismanagement by both parties."

"This bill is a strong step forward — and I am proud of Chairman Arrington, the speaker, and my colleagues for the work we did to make progress with the White House," Roy added. "But we have to do more to deliver for the American people."

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The Republicans who could derail reconciliation



Reconciliation talks are beginning to boil over as Republican factions begin attacking the "big, beautiful bill" from all angles.

Up until this week, critics have been relatively quiet about reconciliation while the majority of Republicans embraced the bill, meant to codify President Donald Trump's agenda.

To be clear, the bill does so to an extent. The tax policy is studded with pro-family provisions and includes the incredibly popular "no tax on tips" policy Trump floated during his campaign. There are Medicaid reforms intended to trim the fat and reduce fraud by enforcing work requirements. It even increases the endowment tax on elite universities like Harvard, subjecting the largest endowments to the 21% corporate rate.

But what was supposed to be the centerpiece in the Republican-led Congress has become a focal point for conflict, and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is doing what he can to plug as many leaks as possible.

'I understand that we have a thin majority, but we should deliver.'

RELATED: Vance tells Glenn Beck Congress needs to 'get serious' about codifying DOGE cuts

Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Some defectors who have been the most difficult to please are the SALT Caucus, a bipartisan bunch pushing to eliminate the $10,000 cap on state and local tax deductions. The blue-state Republicans in the caucus, like Rep. Mike Lawler of New York, have been particularly stubborn during these closed-door negotiations.

During one of their many meetings this week, the members even threw out their colleague Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis of New York because she supported the proposed $30,000 cap increase that came out of the Ways and Means Committee. Notably, Malliotakis is the only SALT Caucus member on the committee and therefore the only member with direct influence over tax policy, the very thing the SALT Caucus is trying to change.

Even after holding several meetings throughout the week, Johnson said that he will likely have to work through the weekend to strike a deal with SALT Caucus Republicans.

RELATED: Big, beautiful bill advances after 18-hour markup marathon while SALT talks go south

Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call Inc. via Getty Images

Predictably, Johnson is also facing an uphill battle against conservatives on Capitol Hill, most notably those on the Budget Committee. The committee is the last to hold a markup on Friday morning, which consists of piecing together all the reconciliation portions that have come out of the 11 House committees' markups.

There are no amendments allowed in the Budget Committee. They will simply vote to advance the bill in its entirety.

The problem is that several Republicans on the committee have already committed to voting against the bill's advancement. There are 21 Republicans and 15 Democrats on the House Budget Committee, meaning Republicans can afford to lose only two votes if they want to get the bill across with a simple majority. Yet among those 21 Republicans, four of them said they are willing to tank the bill.

Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas told Blaze News earlier in the week that he couldn't get behind the bill because it doesn't do enough to rein in spending and address fraud in the Medicaid system.

"It has to be amended," Roy told Blaze News. "I'm not going to be able to support it as it's currently drafted, and those amendments are going to need to be, you know, relatively significant."

"I didn't come here to perpetuate a broken system," Roy added. "I understand that we have a thin majority, but we should deliver."

RELATED: Exclusive: Why Chip Roy can't support the 'big, beautiful bill': 'The swamp does what the swamp does'

Republican Reps. Ralph Norman of South Carolina, Andrew Clyde of Georgia, and Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma echoed Roy's concerns, saying they too intended to vote against the bill in committee.

Despite these naysayers, leadership is pushing on, with Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) saying he is confident the bill will pass committee on Friday.

"We did the hard work of setting real targets to restore fiscal sanity, and I’m confident we will have the votes in the Budget Committee tomorrow," Arrington said in a statement. "The Republican conference is working in good faith through a few scoring and policy clarifications. With something this big and beautiful, you’ve got to get it right."

If the bill manages to scrape by in the Budget Committee, it will be headed to the Rules Committee on Monday before eventually being put up for a vote on the floor before the Memorial Day target. Unlike the Budget Committee, the Rules Committee allows amendments, which Johnson, who has a historically narrow House majority, will likely need to make if he wants to get enough votes to pass the bill.

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Johnson narrowly secures speakership despite Republican defectors



The House narrowly elected Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) for a second term in the first round of votes on Friday.

In the final tally, Johnson received 218 votes, the bare minimum to secure the speakership. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) received 215 votes.

Seven Republicans, including Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, initially skipped out on the election, later changing their vote to Johnson. Three Republicans initially voted for other members entirely. Republican Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina voted for Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, and Rep. Keith Self of Texasa voted for Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, although they both eventually changed their votes to Johnson.

Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky was the only member in the final tally who voted against Johnson, opting instead for House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.).

Given the Republicans' narrow, four-seat majority, Johnson could afford only one "no" vote, which Massie claimed leading up to Friday. In addition to Massie, several Republicans like Roy expressed hesitancy about supporting Johnson, citing fiscal concerns.

'Republicans have a mandate to implement the America First Agenda, and as Speaker, this will be my priority.'

"We saw this movie in 2023, and everyone knows the sequel always sucks," Republican Rep. Mike Collins of Georgia said in an X post following the vote.

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) hold a press conference at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate on April 12, 2024, in Palm Beach, Florida. Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Just minutes before the House was set to vote for a speaker, Johnson released a lengthy commitment to "return to fiscal sanity" in a last-ditch attempt to appeal to the potential defectors and secure his second term.

"Republicans have a real opportunity in the next two years to make meaningful spending reforms to eliminate trillions in waste, fraud, and abuse, and end the weaponization of government," Johnson said. "Along with advancing President Trump’s America First agenda, I will lead the House Republicans to reduce the size and scope of the federal government, hold the bureaucracy accountable, and move the United States to a more sustainable fiscal trajectory."

"If we want to restore fiscal responsibility, we must start by being transparent about the dollars that are spent, address the issues we find, and then hold those accountable who have misspent funds," Johnson continued. "Republicans have a mandate to implement the America First Agenda, and as Speaker, this will be my priority."

Despite the tumultuous end-of-year spending fight, Johnson also secured President-elect Donald Trump's endorsement on Monday, as well as a last-minute boost of "good luck" on Friday just hours before the 119th Congress was gaveled in.

"Good luck today for Speaker Mike Johnson, a fine man of great ability, who is very close to having 100% support," Trump said in a post on Truth Social. "A win for Mike today will be a big win for the Republican Party, and yet another acknowledgment of our 129 year most consequential Presidential Election!! - A BIG AFFIRMATION, INDEED. MAGA!"

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