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Conservatives are demanding deeper cuts in federal spending, including the elimination of clean energy tax credits and work requirements for Medicaid recipients to start earlier.
May 16, 2025Updated 5:16 p.m. ET
Conservatives on the House Budget Committee on Friday blocked their party’s megabill from reaching the floor, citing concerns that the legislation to fulfill President Trump’s domestic agenda would add too much to the deficit.
It was a remarkable revolt that threatened to upend the party’s goal of pushing the legislation through the House before its Memorial Day recess and sent Republican leaders scrambling to try to put down the uprising.
The setback underscored the treacherous balancing act that Speaker Mike Johnson is trying to pull off. Without the support of Republican hard-liners on the Budget Committee, the bill cannot advance. But any changes to win their backing could alienate the more moderate Republicans whose votes will also be needed to pass the measure on the House floor.
Five Republican representatives — Chip Roy of Texas, Ralph Norman of South Carolina, Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma, Andrew Clyde of Georgia, and Lloyd Smucker of Pennsylvania — joined Democrats in voting to block the legislation. The vote was 16 to 21 on a motion to advance the bill.
“This bill falls profoundly short; it does not do what we say it does with respect to deficits,” Mr. Roy said ahead of the vote, explaining his opposition. “Deficits will go up in the first half of the 10-year budget window, and we all know it’s true, and we shouldn’t do that. We shouldn’t say that we’re doing something we’re not doing.”
A few hours after the vote failed, committee leaders announced that the panel would reconvene Sunday at 10 p.m. to reconsider the legislation. It was not clear what, if any, changes Republican leaders agreed to before calling lawmakers back.
