May 16 (UPI) — President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda bill is slated to go through the House Budget Committee Friday, but it could be derailed by a handful of dissatisfied House Republicans.
House Speaker Mike Johnson has plans to put the legislation on the floor for a vote before Memorial Day, but with Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, absent due to paternity leave, all House Budget Chairman Jodey C. Arrington, R-Texas, can only lose one vote and still achieve passage, should all Democrats vote against the package as expected.
GOP Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, declared Thursday in a post to X that “the House proposal fails to meet the moment,” and that “it does not meaningfully change spending,” and then added that he feels “many of the decent provisions and cuts, don’t begin until 2029 and beyond. That is swamp accounting to dodge real savings.”
Currently, the bill’s work requirements for Medicaid recipients without disabilities and children would not launch until 2029.
Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., aired his issues with the bill Friday on social media.
“Why rush the process when we should be working overtime to get it right?” he said.
Aside from Roy and Norman, a contingent of GOP members from New York have made it clear they won’t vote for the bill unless it addresses state and local taxes, or SALT. The bill as is raises the current $10,000 cap on SALT that can be written off on federal tax returns to $30,000, but the Empire State Republicans want it to be even higher.
“My Republican colleagues need to remember that maintaining the majority means they have to work together with swing seats like mine, where SALT is a priority. It’s time to negotiate; they need to pass the SALT, or I’m voting no,” Rep. Mike Lawler, R- N.Y. announced Wednesday on social media.
Fellow GOP and New York Congressman Nick LaLota stated on X Thursday that “$250K might be rich in Missouri,” but “not on Long Island,” and that “A $30K SALT cap doesn’t cut it. Before 2017, SALT was unlimited. We proposed $62K/$124K caps to fully protect 98% of my district.”
“I want to say yes to the One Big Beautiful Bill, but not without a real SALT fix,” LaLota said.
President Donald Trump responded to the impending showdown Friday via Truth Social, where he insisted “Republicans must unite behind, ‘The One, Big Beautiful Bill,'”
“We don’t need ‘grandstanders in the Republican Party. Stop talking and get it done!” Trump wrote.
The bill if passed would both extend the life of tax cuts set during Trump’s first term and enact up to $1.5 trillion in new tax breaks, with an increase of federal deficit by $1.5 trillion as Trump seeks to spend as much as $175 billion on border security and immigration enforcement, as well as an additional $150 billion for military spending. The legislation would also increase fossil fuel production and mining of public lands. To offset the spending, there will be $1.5 trillion in cuts to spending of safety-net programs.
Rep. Josh Brecheen, R-Okla. also currently represents Republicans whose passage vote remains unclear, or a likely No, as he posted to X Thursday that “it’s clear we don’t know the true cost of this bill or whether it adheres to the Budget blueprint.”
“We have a duty to know the true cost of this legislation before advancing it,” Brecheen continued, “If we are to operate in truth, we must have true numbers, even if that means taking some more time to obtain that truth.”
