President Donald Trump's “Big Beautiful Building” failed to pass the House Budget Committee on Friday.
Republican lawmakers from Texas, Josh Bretzin of Oklahoma, Andrew Clyde of Georgia, and Ralph Norman of South Carolina all voted against Congress.
Pennsylvania Rep. Lloyd Smucker, the fifth House Republican, also switched his vote from “yes” to “no,” but that was a procedural manipulation that allowed him to nurture legislation again. Smacker told reporters he was “very confident” in the success of the bill.
House Budget Committee Chairman Jodie Arlington, R-Texas, said the panel is likely not to meet again Friday and could be reconvened on Monday.
The committee came together to mark up and discuss the bill. This is a large law that is a product of individual efforts by 11 different House committees to create policies under their jurisdiction. As a result, there are a wide range of bills that promote borders, immigration, tax, energy, defense, increased debt restrictions and tax priorities.
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House Speaker Mike Johnson, left, President Donald Trump. (Getty Images)
However, sentiment ran high in the hallways outside the House Budget Committee meeting room from the start, but the media showed little how the event would occur.
Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, who was at home with his wife and newborn baby, surprised reporters when he arrived at the Cannon House Office Building after he was expected to miss the committee meeting first.
His appearance added several wiggling rooms to the GOP leader, and the committee lost two Republican votes, and still managed to pass not only one bill.
However, at least four House Republicans attended the meeting. They opposed the bill.
Shortly before the meeting was expected to begin, Roy, Norman, Clyde and Bretzin suddenly left the room, but on their way out they barely told reporters.
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Each of them came back a while later and criticised the law for their opening remarks.
The Finance Hawks are unhappy with provisions that will curb Medicaid in a bill that will not come into effect until 2029, and have faced similar issues with phasing out green energy subsidies from former President Joe Biden's Inflation Reduction Act.
“Only in Washington, we are expected to bet that everything will work in five years. Then we'll solve the problem,” Roy said during the discussion. “We have to change direction in this town, and on the other side of my colleagues and the aisle, yes, that means touching Medicaid.
Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) will be attending President Donald Trump's speech at the U.S. Capitol on March 4, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Get McNamee/Getty Images)
At one point, Norman came out of the room and asked the committee for a break to overcome the concerns of the Finance Hawks.
“If they're looking for a vote now, it won't end well,” he said.
A few minutes later, R-La was meeting with Holdout, not a member of the committee. Steve Scullyse, the leader of the majority, told reporters he hopes to move forward with the budget panel “as soon as possible.”
When asked about Norman's comments, he said, “I came out of a meeting with him a few minutes ago. We're working on some questions that Ralph and others have, and we're going to get the answers as soon as we get them back from the Trump administration.”
“We were making progress, but we didn't vote because the vote was called and the issue wasn't resolved,” Roy said on his previous Twitter X.
“Medicaid job requirements must begin, not 2029, and Green's new fraud must be completely abolished, as President Trump asked,” Roy wrote in X.
Previously, Trump addressed a society of truth, suggesting that people opposed the bill were “global stands,” and he urged Republicans to unite behind it.
However, his message seemed to have little effect on the rebels, but that was notable Trump in Washington, and he is now returning from a diplomatic trip to the Middle East.
House Republicans work to pass Trump's agenda through a budget adjustment process that allows parties that control the House, White House and Senate to pass a wide range of laws while keeping the minority fully on the sidelines.
Rep. Ralph Norman, Rs.C. will discuss with reporters after a House Republican Conference meeting at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, February 5, 2025 (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc, Getty Images)
This does so by lowering the Senate's passing threshold from 60 to 51 votes, subject to legal transactions on expenditures, taxes or government bonds.
R-La. Speaker Mike Johnson said he hopes to pass the House by Memorial Day with the goal of syncing with the Senate by July 4th and obtaining the bill on Trump's desk.
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That's still possible if Republicans on the House Budget Committee gained an agreement on Monday to move forward with the law.
They then head to the House Rules Committee for potential changes before a House-wide vote over the week.
But Republican senators have already shown they want to see some changes to the bill. This means that you need to haveh the difference from your House counterpart before the law ends.
House Freedom Caucus, which belongs to the bill's four budget committee opponents, says its members will continue to work to remain in Washington until the weekend.
“We're continuing to negotiate. We're not leaving right now. We're making progress and we're continuing to work on legislation,” a Forred Caucus spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
