Republicans who approved the bill by a single vote in each chamber must determine if they agree on final passage with no help from Democrats.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8PyKzrR9UA
WASHINGTON – The House on July 2 started debating President Donald Trump’s legislative package of tax reductions and Medicaid cuts but Republican leaders struggled to chart a path to victory with their narrow majorities in Congress.
“We can’t make everyone 100% happy. It’s impossible,” Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters as a day of both public and private arm-twisting got underway and as summertime storms caused complications for lawmakers scrambling to return to Washington, D.C., during a shortened holiday week.
Trump has been urging lawmakers to send him the bill to sign into law by July 4 but also acknowledged the timeline is flexible. Johnson, R-Louisiana, and other leaders said in a joint statement they would “work quickly” to meet their self-imposed deadline by approving the Senate version, which Vice President JD Vance pushed across the finish line with a tie-breaking vote July 1.
“Republicans were elected to do exactly what this bill achieves: secure the border, make tax cuts permanent, unleash American energy dominance, restore peace through strength, cut wasteful spending, and return to a government that puts Americans first,” the GOP leadership statement said.
But the path is narrow enough that changes are still possible. The House approved its initial version of the bill on a 215-214 vote in May. After four days of marathon debate and voting, the Senate approved its version in a 51-50 vote July 1, with three Republicans voting no and Vance breaking the tie.
Trump spent July 2 out of the public eye with no events scheduled. In the morning, the president, Vice President JD Vance, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz and other Republican lawmakers huddled at the White House with reluctant GOP lawmakers, including South Dakota Rep. Dusty Johnson, who later described the talks as “really productive.”
Multiple House Republicans who supported their version of the bill – including Reps. Andy Harris of Maryland and Ralph Norman of South Carolina – nonetheless remained throughout the day opposed to the Senate version. Harris and Norman are members of the House Freedom Caucus, which aims to cut federal spending. Their concerns were partly to blame for Johnson and GOP leaders holding open a series of procedural floor votes while working behind the scenes to line up support.
Asked if the finish line could come today, Norman told reporters, “Probably not.” Tomorrow? “Hey, it’s like the wind. I can’t predict that.”
A wavering Republican who voted yes on July 1, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said the House should recognize “we’re not there yet” and make improvements before sending it back to the Senate.
“Because we have two options here, right? Kill it and it’s gone,” Murkowski said.
Here’s what we know about the bill:
Will the House vote on Wednesday? Thursday? Ever?
Members of the House Freedom Caucus and other lawmakers wary of this sweeping bill trickled out of a meeting near the House chamber.
On his way out, Rep. Ralph Norman, R-South Carolina, said he and others have lingering concerns on a number of bill provisions.
“There won’t be any vote until we can get satisfied,” Norman said. “There’s about 25 of us.”
“Look, I got problems with all this bill. I got trouble with all of it,” he added.
Norman, who said his vote is currently undecided, said the options are revise the legislation and send it back to the Senate for what will probably be another heated debate. Or, “get our questions answered and support it.”
Asked if the finish line could come today, Norman said, “Probably not.” Tomorrow? “Hey, it’s like the wind. I can’t predict that.” – Savannah Kuchar
Tennessee Republican Rep. Tim Burchett huddled with members of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus but came away saying none of their concerns about the bill have been resolved, as leaders were delaying votes.
House Freedom Caucus members have complained that the Senate version of the bill adds more to the deficit than the House version. They’ve called for leadership to return to the House framework of the bill. Burchett is not a member of the caucus but often aligns with their values.
“We’re not negotiating anything because there’s nobody, just House members,” Burchett said.
He excited the Capitol and said he was going to get a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch. – Sudiksha Kochi
House waiting for GOP lawmakers to return to Capitol: Scalise
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Louisiana, said leaders were delaying votes on Trump’s legislative priorities to give time for lawmakers to travel back to Washington, after thunderstorms delayed flights.
“We need them here, as you know,” Scalise told reporters. “We need their votes, and they’re going to be here shortly. And so when they get here, within the next hour, we’ll come back, finish this vote, then go straight into the rule vote.”
Six Republicans missed an early procedural vote, when they weren’t needed. But several Republicans have voiced opposition to rubber-stamping the Senate version of the bill, so leaders want to have as many members on hand as possible.
Scalise said leaders still plan to vote on the legislation July 2. – Sudiksha Kochi
House delays calling vote on Trump bill for further negotiations
House votes ground to a mid-afternoon halt as Republican leaders negotiated with potential holdouts against Trump’s legislative package.
The House had scheduled two procedural votes before getting to a key vote on the rule that would govern debate on the bill. But one of those votes – a technical amendment to the rule – has been held open an hour longer than scheduled.
Members of the Freedom Caucus, who seek greater cuts in federal spending, were meeting with leaders in a room off the House floor.
The head of the caucus, Rep. Andy Harris, R-Maryland, earlier said he opposed the rule and a vote on the rule would fail unless changes are made to the bill. But any changes would send the bill back to the Senate and further delay potential passage.
“The rule vote will fail if he brings it to the floor,” Harris told reporters about Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana. “Right now what the president should be doing is calling the Senate back into town.”
Three other Republicans – Reps. Ralph Norman of South Carolina, Chip Roy of Texas and Thomas Massie of Kentucky – have signaled opposition to the rule. – Bart Jansen
Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-South Dakota, left Speaker Johnson’s office telling reporters “momentum’s in the right direction” for House leadership, as the chamber continues to delay the process of voting on the bill.
The South Dakota lawmaker said Trump has been leading efforts to turn members toward yes. In morning meetings at the White House, Johnson said the president addressed various concerns — including proposed Medicaid reforms.
“Concerns about Medicaid were substantially mitigated,” he said.
Key to this was greater explanation of a $50 billion hospital fund, added onto the bill by the Senate.
“That is a new mechanism, so house members, are still getting their arms around it,” Johnson said. – Savannah Kuchar
Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie said he is not changing his mind in opposition to the tax bill sought by President Trump.
The GOP lawmaker also sided against the bill when it narrowly passed the House in May and he noted Trump hasn’t reached out to him personally to lobby for a change.
“No. I mean, he reaches out every day on Twitter…reaching out with a million dollars of ads in my district with a picture of me and the Ayatollah so that’s the only sort of reaching out that I’ve seen so far,” Massie said. – Sudiksha Kochi
A ‘lot fewer no votes’ after Trump meeting
South Dakota Republican Rep. Dusty Johnson told reporters his July 2 morning meetings with President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz and other Republican lawmakers at the White House were “really productive.”
“There were some members who came into those meetings with some concerns from the President, and particularly Dr. (Mehmet) Oz did a good job of working through some of the specifics,” Johnson said.
Trump, he said, got a lot of holdouts who had concerns about the bill to say yes.
“There are a lot fewer no votes now than there were before the meeting started at the White House,” he said.
Johnson said they are “closer to a deal.” When asked whether Trump was still adamant on the July 4 deadline, Johnson said, “Donald Trump understands that nothing gets done in this town without a deadline.” – Sudiksha Kochi
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, flanked by Majority Leader Steve Scalise, said leadership is working on resolving ongoing disputes and he feels “positive about the progress.”
Johnson has held meetings in office with disgruntled members throughout the day, including House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris, who upon leaving the speaker’s office said he remains a no.
“We can’t make everyone 100% happy. It’s impossible,” Johnson said.
“All of us have to give up on our personal preferences,” he added. “I’m never going to ask anyone to compromise their core principles, but the preferences must be yielded.”— Savannah Kuchar
Rep. Andy Harris, R-Maryland, chair of the House Freedom Caucus and a key holdout, exited Speaker Mike Johnson’s office shortly before a series of procedural votes began that are essential before a roll call for final passage can happen.
Asked how many Republican no votes there will be, Harris told reporters, “Hang around for about 30 minutes to find out.” – Savannah Kuchar
House Freedom caucus releases list of complaints about tax bill
The House Freedom caucus has released a list of “failures” inside the Senate’s version of Trump’s tax bill.
The ultraconservative group of House Republicans’ key concern is the more than $650 billion that the Senate’s version would add to the deficit over the House’s version, which passed in late May.
But they’re also concerned about a number of provisions they would like to see tweaked, including carveouts for Alaska and Hawaii from food stamp cuts to deeper cuts to Biden-era clean energy incentives, according to a memo first reported by Punchbowl News.
The group will be key to getting the bill across the finish line. Trump is speaking with holdouts at the White House on July 2. – Riley Beggin
House Democrats unsuccessful preventing cuts to Medicaid, food assistance
More than 100 House Democrats made a parade of futile requests to prevent any changes to Medicaid or food assistance as part of Trump’s legislative package.
The chief of the Congressional Black Caucus, Rep. Yvette Clarke, D-New York, kicked off the series of requests for unanimous consent by asking “to protect against any cuts to Medicaid and SNAP,” the former name of the food assistance program.
But the head of the Rules Committee, Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-North Carolina, refused to yield for the first few requests, which had the effect of killing them. The acting speaker, Rep. Steve Womack, R-Arkansas, then simply rejected each successive request.
“Wow, that gambit was riveting,” Foxx said after the requests were completed.
The House was debating a framework for voting on the Senate’s version of Trump’s bill. The rule called for no changes to the legislation, so that House approval would send the bill to the president for his signature. – Bart Jansen
House Republicans have again pushed back a procedural vote that will clear the way for a final vote on Trump’s tax package.
The chamber now plans to vote on the rule to consider the bill around 12:15 p.m. EDT. However, several Republicans are at the White House discussing the package with Trump.
Further delays are likely as Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson twist arms to push his members to vote for the package. – Riley Beggin
Trump meets with House GOP at White House to push approval of megabill
President Donald Trump is meeting July 2 with several House Republicans at the White House to discuss passage of his tax and spending bill, a White House official confirmed to USA TODAY.
It was not immediately clear how many House Republicans made the short trip from the Capitol to the White House.
Reporters spotted a handful of lawmakers entering the side of the West Wing including moderate Rep. Mike Lawler, R-New York.
Members of the hardline House Freedom Caucus are also expected to arrive to meet with Trump as the president pushes Republicans to stick together to pass the sweeping bill before his self-imposed Fourth of July deadline. – Joey Garrison
The House has convened to consider President Donald Trump’s sweeping tax policy bill.Lawmakers will have to approve a rule that allows them to consider the package before a final vote. That involves three votes and hours of debate.
Things are off to a slow start as members continue to trickle in from delayed travel to the nation’s capital.Nearly two dozen lawmakers are still missing as they hold open a procedural vote to begin the day’s session. – Riley Beggin
Rep. Chip Roy: Senate bill ‘violated spirit and terms of our House agreement’
Rep. Chip Roy, a Texas Republican and fiscal hawk who voted against advancing the bill in a key House committee, told USA TODAY the Senate version that passed July 1 “violated both the spirit and the terms of our House agreement” in terms of reducing the national debt.
An analysis from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found the Senate bill would add $3.3 trillion to the national debt over the next decade. That’s a nearly one trillion dollar increase from the House version, which would add $2.4 trillion to the debt.
Both House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said they plan on having House lawmakers vote on the Senate bill without amendments on July 2.
However, Roy said, “we need to see changes, and that’s where we are.”
On whether the July 4 deadline is still realistic, Roy said, “It probably depends on today, and whether there’s serious improvements made today on the bill.” – Sudiksha Kochi
What’s President Trump’s schedule today?
President Donald Trump urged House Republicans to not “let the Radical Left Democrats push you around” as he pushed for the quick passage of the Senate version of his massive tax and spending bill.
Trump has no public events scheduled for July 2 on his official presidential schedule, but the president is expected to closely keep tabs on the House proceedings as the lower chambers takes up his so-called “big, beautiful bill.”
With Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote, the Senate on July 1 approved the sweeping legislation by a 51-50 vote, with three Republican defectors.
“Our Country will make a fortune this year, more than any of our competitors, but only if the Big, Beautiful Bill is PASSED!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social that also touted revenue collected by his tariffs on imports. “As they say, Trump’s been right about everything, and this is the easiest of them all to predict”
“Republicans, don’t let the Radical Left Democrats push you around. We’ve got all the cards, and we are going to use them,” he said. – Joey Garrison
House committee advances Trump’s bill without changes
A key House committee advanced President Donald Trump’s tax bill in a late-night marathon session.
Two of the House Rules Committee’s Republicans — Reps. Chip Roy of Texas and Ralph Norman of South Carolina — voted against it, signaling the bruising floor fight to come over the bill’s more than $3.3 trillion price tag.
Members of both parties submitted more than 500 amendments to the bill, but none were adopted. The Senate’s version of the bill is what will head to the floor.
Now, House Speaker Mike Johnson and Trump are getting to work twisting arms as members trickle into Washington. A group of hold-outs, including Norman, are heading to the White House today to discuss the path forward with Trump.
“I’m sure he’s going to be mad,” Norman told NBC News, “but I don’t know what to tell him.” – Riley Beggin
Rules Committee previewed floor debate
The Rules Committee, which sets the framework for how legislation is debated on the House floor, offered a preview July 1 of how the debate will unfold.
Democrats warned about losses to the most vulnerable through cuts to food assistance and Medicaid, while Republicans highlighted tax cuts to help working families by not taxing tips or overtime.
“This couldn’t be a better time or better policies to strengthen working families,” said Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, who heads the Budget Committee.
But Rep. Brendan Boyle of Pennsylvania, the top Democrat on the Budget Committee, said polling found 2-1 margins against the bill.
“This is going to be one of the biggest if not the biggest votes in each and every one of our careers,” Boyle said. “I am proud to be here doing everything I possibly can to say, ‘Hell, no, let’s kill this bill.’” – Bart Jansen
Two GOP members of Freedom Caucus oppose Senate bill
Norman, a member of the Rules Committee, said he would vote against the Senate version of the bill.
“What they did to our bill was unconscionable,” Norman said. “My hope is we go back to the drawing board and get something close to what we passed.”
Harris told Fox News’ “America Reports” that he would oppose the rule so that negotiations would continue with the Senate.
“The bottom line is this is not ready for prime time,” Harris said. “This is not going to sail through the House.”
“We’ll get there eventually but I don’t think it’s going to be in the next couple of days,” Harris said.
– Riley Beggin and Bart Jansen
Musk opposes bill, threatens GOP with primary challengers
Elon Musk, Trump’s former billionaire adviser who spent nearly $300 million last year to help Republicans win the election, blasted the bill and said he would support GOP primary challengers to anyone who supports it.
“Every member of Congress who campaigned on reducing government spending and then immediately voted for the biggest debt increase in history should hang their head in shame!” Musk wrote on social media June 30. “And they will lose their primary next year if it is the last thing I do on this Earth.”
Musk is CEO of Tesla, which makes electric vehicles, and SpaceX, which makes rockets. Trump contends Musk opposes the bill because it would end subsidies for electric vehicles and because the president passed over his choice to head NASA.
Trump told reporters July 1 he would consider deporting Musk, a naturalized U.S. citizen from South Africa. “I don’t know. We’ll have to take a look,” Trump said. – Bart Jansen
