House GOP postpones budget vote as hard-liners push for deeper cuts in Trump's 'beautiful' bill
Speaker Mike Johnson has proposed moving forward, even during a planned recess, as Republican leaders evaluate potential adjustments.
TroibNews 
House Republican leaders decided to cancel a vote on the Senate’s budget resolution Wednesday night, as Speaker Mike Johnson realized that too many Republicans would oppose it, leading to its inevitable failure.
Continuing discussions with holdout members, House GOP leaders are considering adjustments to win over fiscal conservatives, aiming to secure the budget framework critical to advancing President Donald Trump’s legislative goals. This setback represents a significant defeat for both House GOP leaders and the president, who have been trying for days to secure the necessary votes for the fiscal proposal.
Tension built throughout the day as over a dozen dissenters met privately with Johnson and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise while a separate vote was held open for an extended period. The evening’s votes were further delayed as House hardliners engaged in discussions with Senate Republicans about more stringent spending cuts.
“I just got off the phone with President Trump. And he wants us to get it done. But we’re going to rework things,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene stated to reporters after a meeting with House leaders, which led to the decision to scrap the vote.
Johnson explained that there was a “small subset” of Republican lawmakers opposed to the budget measure, which is essential for Republicans to bypass the filibuster and enact a partisan legislative package that includes tax cuts, military funding, energy policy, and border security. However, with the House GOP's slim majority, even a few dissenters can derail such a bill.
“I’m very optimistic about the outcome of this ‘one big, beautiful bill,’ and this is just one of the steps in getting there,” the speaker remarked.
Moving forward, Johnson indicated that House leadership will consider either modifying the Senate-adopted budget or directly entering into a conference with the Senate to reconcile differences. One possibility includes adopting an amendment from Rep. Lloyd Smucker that would require spending cuts to offset any tax reductions in the final package, or ensuring certain spending cuts are included.
Lawmakers are expected to return to their districts for a two-week recess Thursday, which may delay progress on Trump’s "big beautiful bill." However, Johnson assured reporters, “if we have to come back next week, then we’ll do that.”
Some Republicans remain hopeful for a breakthrough before leaving for recess. Rep. Rich McCormick of Georgia, who opposes the Senate’s budget framework, commented, “I think we’ll have a more conservative alternative tomorrow.”
For the House and Senate to move forward with drafting and passing a party-line package, they must adopt identical budget resolutions. If the House amends the Senate's budget framework, senators would face a lengthy amendment voting session and further votes to finalize the bill.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune expressed reservations about this possibility: “No we can't do that — another vote-a-rama that drags it on indefinitely. I think everybody realizes that we're at the time that we've got to move."
Earlier, Thune met with House fiscal hawks to address their concerns and facilitate approval of the Senate version, describing the discussions as “a really good back and forth” and “constructive.”
“All we can do is make sure they understand where we're coming from and how closely we want to work with them to get to the final product,” Thune shared with reporters that evening.
However, Thune did not commit to the request for $2 trillion in cuts to safety-net programs that some House conservatives are demanding, stating, “I didn't say anything quite like that.”
Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, who also attended the meeting with the fiscal hawks, emphasized party unity: “Republicans in the Senate, Republicans in the House, are all on the same page — we are all committed to serious and significant savings.”
Despite this, many House Republicans express distrust toward the Senate's approach. Rep. Kevin Hern, chair of the House Republican Policy Committee, commented, “We just don’t trust the Senate... It just seems very unserious that they want to control the deficits in this country.”
Ian Smith for TROIB News
Continuing discussions with holdout members, House GOP leaders are considering adjustments to win over fiscal conservatives, aiming to secure the budget framework critical to advancing President Donald Trump’s legislative goals. This setback represents a significant defeat for both House GOP leaders and the president, who have been trying for days to secure the necessary votes for the fiscal proposal.
Tension built throughout the day as over a dozen dissenters met privately with Johnson and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise while a separate vote was held open for an extended period. The evening’s votes were further delayed as House hardliners engaged in discussions with Senate Republicans about more stringent spending cuts.
“I just got off the phone with President Trump. And he wants us to get it done. But we’re going to rework things,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene stated to reporters after a meeting with House leaders, which led to the decision to scrap the vote.
Johnson explained that there was a “small subset” of Republican lawmakers opposed to the budget measure, which is essential for Republicans to bypass the filibuster and enact a partisan legislative package that includes tax cuts, military funding, energy policy, and border security. However, with the House GOP's slim majority, even a few dissenters can derail such a bill.
“I’m very optimistic about the outcome of this ‘one big, beautiful bill,’ and this is just one of the steps in getting there,” the speaker remarked.
Moving forward, Johnson indicated that House leadership will consider either modifying the Senate-adopted budget or directly entering into a conference with the Senate to reconcile differences. One possibility includes adopting an amendment from Rep. Lloyd Smucker that would require spending cuts to offset any tax reductions in the final package, or ensuring certain spending cuts are included.
Lawmakers are expected to return to their districts for a two-week recess Thursday, which may delay progress on Trump’s "big beautiful bill." However, Johnson assured reporters, “if we have to come back next week, then we’ll do that.”
Some Republicans remain hopeful for a breakthrough before leaving for recess. Rep. Rich McCormick of Georgia, who opposes the Senate’s budget framework, commented, “I think we’ll have a more conservative alternative tomorrow.”
For the House and Senate to move forward with drafting and passing a party-line package, they must adopt identical budget resolutions. If the House amends the Senate's budget framework, senators would face a lengthy amendment voting session and further votes to finalize the bill.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune expressed reservations about this possibility: “No we can't do that — another vote-a-rama that drags it on indefinitely. I think everybody realizes that we're at the time that we've got to move."
Earlier, Thune met with House fiscal hawks to address their concerns and facilitate approval of the Senate version, describing the discussions as “a really good back and forth” and “constructive.”
“All we can do is make sure they understand where we're coming from and how closely we want to work with them to get to the final product,” Thune shared with reporters that evening.
However, Thune did not commit to the request for $2 trillion in cuts to safety-net programs that some House conservatives are demanding, stating, “I didn't say anything quite like that.”
Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, who also attended the meeting with the fiscal hawks, emphasized party unity: “Republicans in the Senate, Republicans in the House, are all on the same page — we are all committed to serious and significant savings.”
Despite this, many House Republicans express distrust toward the Senate's approach. Rep. Kevin Hern, chair of the House Republican Policy Committee, commented, “We just don’t trust the Senate... It just seems very unserious that they want to control the deficits in this country.”
Ian Smith for TROIB News
