Trump prepares to step into messy fight over GOP tax bill

The Hill

17-05-2025

President Trump is returning from a Middle East trip where he was feted by foreign leaders to find his legislative agenda on shaky ground on Capitol Hill.
Republican lawmakers are squabbling over the details of the massive reconciliation package that contains key pieces of Trump's agenda on taxes, border funding and spending.
On Friday, four conservative lawmakers tanked a key committee vote, stalling the legislation and leaving a slew of the president's campaign promises in limbo.
White House officials and Republicans signaled Trump is expected to ramp up his engagement with members this week, working the phones and getting more directly involved to try and get the party in line before disagreements sink the president's 'big, beautiful bill.' His involvement, some suggested, will be necessary given the fractious nature of the GOP conference.
'The president weighing in is always helpful here, and we're trying to work with the administration to ensure that we pass his agenda as well as… to make good on the mandate the American people have given us in the election,' said Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R-Pa.), who voted against advancing the reconciliation package on Friday on procedural grounds but said he supports the bill.
The president is in regular contact with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), and he and senior White House officials are expected to continue their outreach to lawmakers over the weekend and into next week.
The megabill encompassing Trump's agenda, titled the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, would extend the tax cuts Trump signed in 2017 that are set to expire later this year, as well as deliver on campaign promises to eliminate taxes on tipped wages and overtime pay.
It also includes reforms to Medicaid and food aid programs that Republicans project will save at least $1.5 trillion over the course of a decade.
While House committees completed marathon markups on major areas of the bill in recent days, there are still simmering disagreements that threaten the bill's passage in the full chamber.
Moderate Republicans from high-tax blue states want an increase of the state and local tax (SALT) deduction cap — currently written as $30,000 in the legislation. But to make up for that, fiscal hawks want changes to the bill to get more savings elsewhere. Some Republicans have also raised concerns about changes to Medicaid that would cause people to lose health coverage.
The tricky balancing act has increased the pressure not just on Republican leadership, but on Trump to pressure and persuade members of his party to back the signature legislation for his second term agenda.
'Given the narrow majority in the House and serious disagreements within the conference, and differences with the Senate, passing anything will take a direct, hands-on approach from the president himself,' said one Republican strategist.
Trump on Friday posted on Truth Social as he flew back from the United Arab Emirates that Republicans 'MUST UNITE behind, 'THE ONE, BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL!'' He admonished 'grandstanders' in the GOP.
'STOP TALKING, AND GET IT DONE!' Trump posted.
Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), one of the four GOP members who sunk the budget vote on the reconciliation bill on Friday, pushed back on the suggestion that he was grandstanding.
'This is: how do you disagree with the agenda he laid out? He's a smart guy, and he's got so many good things [in the bill],' Normal told reporters. 'All we're asking is a little compromise somewhere. Let's not give the farm. It's not right. It's not right.'
Trump has previously tried similar tactics, using his social media megaphone to target House GOP rebels like Reps. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), even suggesting they face primary challenges. But those individuals have shown they are largely unmoved by social media threats.
The president has in the past also used private outreach, including over the phone to lawmakers on the fence and hosting members at the White House to discuss how to move forward.
Trump has at times appeared reluctant to firmly weigh in on specific policy details of the reconciliation bill. He recently offered mixed signals over the concept of increasing taxes on the wealthiest Americans to help pay for the legislation and satisfy conservatives worried about adding to the debt.
But as the reconciliation package faces more hurdles before getting to his desk, Trump is expected to balance his public comments with private outreach to lawmakers in the days and weeks ahead.
'The White House will continue to have conversations over the weekend strongly urging House Members to seize the generational opportunity before them and vote YES on this historic legislation to fix the mess Joe Biden created,' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. 'The White House expects ALL Republicans to vote for this bill and successfully pass it through Committee in the near future.'
Emily Brooks and Mike Lillis contributed reporting