
Republican lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives face a critical standoff over President Donald Trump’s comprehensive tax and spending legislation, with several party members refusing to support the bill that has unanimous Democratic opposition.
House debate continues following the bill’s passage through its final procedural hurdle early Thursday morning in Washington, D.C. The final vote is anticipated within hours.
The impasse surrounding the Trump administration’s primary domestic policy initiative, known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” extended into Thursday’s early hours as Republican leadership worked intensively to convince holdouts ahead of the Friday, July 4 deadline. Trump criticized the dissenting Republicans on social media platforms.
“For Republicans, this should be an easy yes vote. Ridiculous!” Trump posted on Truth Social. He added, “Largest Tax Cuts in History and a Booming Economy vs. Biggest Tax Increase in History, and a Failed Economy. What are the Republicans waiting for?” Trump warned that “MAGA is not happy, and it’s costing you votes.”
Five Republicans voted against the procedural measure to advance the legislation, while eight remained undecided. With expected unanimous Democratic opposition, Trump can afford to lose only three Republican votes for the bill to proceed to final passage.
Legislative Details
The substantial 800-page bill represents the president’s domestic agenda centerpiece, combining extensive tax reductions, increased defense and border security spending, and social safety net program cuts into a single comprehensive package.
However, the legislation faces internal Republican opposition. Moderate members express concerns about cuts to social programs like Medicaid, while conservatives worry about the potential trillions added to the national debt.
The five Republican opponents include Representatives Victoria Spartz of Indiana, Andrew Clyde of Georgia, Keith Self of Texas, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, and Thomas Massie of Kentucky.
House Speaker Mike Johnson called lawmakers to Washington for the roll call vote, attempting to leverage momentum from the bill’s Senate passage and secure House approval before the July 4 holiday. The Senate approved the legislation 51-50 on Tuesday in the Republican-controlled chamber, with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote.
Voting Dynamics
Johnson’s strategy to quickly approve the Senate version faced resistance from some Republicans who opposed fast-tracking the legislation. Johnson stated he would keep voting open “as long as it takes” while senior Republicans worked to persuade holdouts.
Johnson expressed confidence that Republican holdouts would “come on board” and expected to proceed to a final vote in the early morning hours, according to The New York Times.
Democrats intensified their criticism of the package during the Republican deadlock. Representative Chuy Garcia described the legislation as a “bad bill to enrich those who are already rich” in a social media video.
Current vote tallies show 217 House Representatives opposing the legislation’s advancement, including five Republicans, while 207 support it. Eight Republicans have yet to cast votes. The bill requires 218 votes to advance, and members can change their votes until voting concludes.
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