Donald Trump and House Republicans have been working for months on a “big, beautiful” bill that would address many of the president’s priorities, but negotiations have been sticky, and there have been numerous stumbling blocks.
On Sunday night, however, the measure survived a crucial House vote and will live to see another day.
The vote was close:
It comes after a rebellion by four House conservatives upended plans to advance the bill on Friday morning.
Lawmakers on the House Budget Committee were summoned back to Washington for a 10 p.m. meeting to vote on advancing the legislation. It passed the panel in a nearly party-line vote, 17 to 16, with four Republicans voting “present.”
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., made a surprise appearance in the committee room shortly before the vote began, telling reporters, “We think this is going to go well tonight. We’re about to find out.”
Related: House Republicans Release Portions of Trump’s Desired ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’—Here’s What We Know
Despite the temporary win for Johnson, there’s still plenty of negotiation ahead:
The four conservatives who have had issues with some of the details of the bill are Reps. Chip Roy (Texas), Ralph Norman (South Carolina), Josh Brecheen (Oklahoma), and Andrew Clyde (Georgia).
They did not derail the effort Sunday night, however:
The four conservatives voted “present” in an effort to move discussions forward on Sunday night.
Advancing the legislation through the House Budget Committee is a largely procedural move. Lawmakers have signaled that some changes will be introduced as amendments in the House Rules Committee, the final gatekeeper before a House-wide vote, sometime early this week.
Notably, two of the Budget Committee fiscal hawks who demanded further changes – Reps. Chip Roy, R-Texas, and Ralph Norman, R-S.C. – also sit on the House Rules Committee.
“In an effort to move this bill forward, I’m excited about the changes we’ve made. And I will vote present,” Norman said as voting began.
Trump wants the legislation to enact his campaign promises on tax cuts, immigration, energy, defense, and raising the debt limit. This thing is far from over, but on Sunday night, Johnson can take a deep breath and savor his win.
His tweet continues:
– Historic spending cuts
– Restoring American energy dominance
– And strengthening Medicaid and SNAP for the Americans who need and deserve them
RedState will bring you continuing coverage as this ongoing story develops.
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