GOP runs into voter buzzsaw of criticism on Trump's ‘big, beautiful bill'

The Hill

a day ago

Fresh off a huge victory in passing their 'big, beautiful bill' through the House, Republican lawmakers are finding that President Trump's agenda is a much tougher sell at home.
In a series of contentious town halls, rank-and-file Republicans seeking to promote the virtues of the massive domestic policy package have run into a buzzsaw of criticism from constituents leery that the legislation will do more harm than good.
Some of the critics are voicing concerns that the proposal cuts too deeply into federal programs that benefit Americans across party lines. Others are griping that the package piles trillions of dollars onto federal deficits, breaking an early promise from GOP leaders that the bill would help bring budgets closer to balance.
The pushback not only highlights the headaches facing Republican leaders battling to get Trump's domestic agenda to the president's desk this summer, but also forecasts the political challenges facing the GOP as it fights to keep control of the House in next year's midterms in the face of persistent attacks from Democrats, who like their odds of flipping the chamber and are vowing to make the 'big, beautiful bill' a central piece of their pitch to anxious voters.
Those tensions were all on full display in recent days in parts of the Midwest, where a pair of lawmakers staged town halls — a strategy GOP leaders have cautioned against — and got an earful from voters furious over the legislation.
In Nebraska, Rep. Mike Flood (R) faced a tsunami of misgivings about his vote in favor of the 'big, beautiful bill,' with voters asking about Medicaid changes; cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), known as food stamps; and how the package would pile on to the federal deficit.
'How do you justify extending the 2017 temporary tax cuts and offsetting that federal loss by cutting Medicaid and SNAP benefits — tax cuts [that are] expected to add $5 trillion to [the] deficit?' one participant asked.
One of the most viral moments from the event, however, came in response to a question about a small provision in the package that seeks to restrict federal judges' ability to hold government officials in contempt when they violate a court order. The language — a small paragraph in the 1,000-plus-page bill — flew largely under the radar ahead of the vote.
Asked about why he supported a bill with those terms, Flood said it was 'unknown' to him when he cast his vote — a signal that he did not read the full bill before formally weighing in on the matter.
'I am not going to hide the truth: This provision was unknown to me when I voted for that bill,' Flood said, prompting the crowd to break out in shouts. 'And when I found out that provision was in the bill, I immediately reached out to my Senate counterparts and told them of my concern.'
In Iowa, GOP Rep. Ashley Hinson encountered a similarly tough crowd, which erupted into a chorus of boos when the third-term Republican hailed the legislation as 'a generational investment' in American prosperity.
'I can't believe you would boo tax relief for working Americans,' she responded.
And in Colorado, members of the state's Republican delegation held a press conference to tout the bill, only to be shouted over by protesters throughout their remarks, Colorado Public Radio reported.
It's unclear how many attendees of the GOP town halls are Republicans, and how many are Democrats who opposed the legislation from the start. Outside liberal groups like Indivisible have encouraged their members to attend such events, and the Nebraska Democratic Party urged supporters to 'pack' Flood's recent town hall in Seward.
Still, Flood made a point to shake everyone's hand at the outset of the event, and he rejected the accusations from many in his party — including some GOP leaders — that Democrats are paying people to heckle Republicans in public settings.
'I don't think one of you is here because you're getting paid,' Flood said. 'I don't think one of you is here because you were trucked in.'
The heat Republicans are facing is unlikely to subside any time soon. The Senate is expected to make changes to the bill in the coming weeks, then send the package back to the House for a final stamp of approval, forcing GOP lawmakers to vote once again on the contentious provisions that could spark a new round of criticism back home.
Conservative Senate Republicans are pushing for steeper spending cuts — Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), for example has said he wants federal spending to roll back to 2019 levels — while moderates are warning against deep slashes. Medicaid is also poised to be the subject of debate in the upper chamber, with moderate Republicans — along with conservative Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) — saying they will not support a bill that makes cuts to the social safety net program.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), for his part, has urged Senate Republicans — both privately and publicly — to make minimal changes, citing the 'very delicate equilibrium' he achieved within his conference to get the package over the finish line. Trump, however, has given the upper chamber the green light to make whatever tweaks they wish, which could set up another politically prickly vote for House Republicans.
'I want the Senate and the senators to make the changes they want. It will go back to the House and we'll see if we can get them,' Trump said last weekend. 'In some cases, the changes may be something I'd agree with, to be honest.'
'I think it's going to get there,' he added of the package. 'I think they are going to have changes. Some will be minor, some will be fairly significant.'
The contentious town halls are far from a new scene for House Republicans. Since Trump took office, numerous GOP lawmakers across the country have faced crowds hostile to Trump's boundary-busting mass deportations, blanket pardons for loyalists, and other actions that have defined the early months of his second term. The events grew so extensive — and tense — that House GOP leaders in March urged their members to avoid in-person town halls and instead host call-in and livestream conversations to avoid the chaotic confrontations.
The recent protests have been unique, however, in that the lawmakers have become the target based on their votes in favor of Trump's specific policy agenda.
'I was also proud to vote for President Trump's one big, beautiful bill last week,' Hinson said at the beginning of her town hall, prompting boos from the audience. 'I'm here to clear up a lot of the misinformation that's out here today' — she added, prompting laughs — 'because this bill is about securing our borders, this bill is about providing continued tax relief for working Americans and returning out country to prosperity.'
Democrats, meanwhile, are hoping to capitalize on both the internal GOP divisions surrounding the debate, and the unpopularity of the more controversial provisions of legislation, like the Medicaid and SNAP cuts, which they're hoping will backfire on Republicans in the midterms.
'Now that vulnerable Republicans are on the record voting for it, this betrayal of the American people will cost them their jobs in the midterms and Republicans the House Majority come 2026,' Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.), head of the Democrats' campaign arm, said after the House vote.