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Fox News
14-05-2025
- Business
- Fox News
House GOP moves Trump's agenda forward after all-night committee debate
The House of Representatives' tax-writing panel took a key step in advancing President Donald Trump's tax agenda on Wednesday morning, finishing a marathon session that began with lawmakers entering a cavernous and chilly room in the Longworth House Office building just after 2 p.m. on Tuesday. The House Ways & Means Committee advanced its portion of Trump's "one big, beautiful bill," one of 11 committees working on the effort that will then be part of one massive piece of legislation. It happened despite a barrage of protest amendments lobbed by Democratic lawmakers in a bid to slow proceedings down and make Republicans take politically tricky votes. The Energy & Commerce Committee and the Ways & Means Committee both held meetings through the night to debate and advance key parts of Trump's bill. The former's meeting is expected to go into Wednesday afternoon after beginning Tuesday at 2 p.m. The Ways & Means Committee advanced its portion early on Wednesday morning in a party-line 26 to 19 vote. The House Agriculture Committee, another critical panel, began working on its portion on Tuesday evening and paused proceedings around midnight. That committee is expected to resume later Wednesday morning. Democrats on each committee, meanwhile, have prepared a barrage of attacks and accusations against GOP lawmakers looking to gut critical welfare programs. The committee meetings have lasted hours because of left-wing lawmakers offering what seemed at times to be an endless stream of amendments that Republicans routinely shot down. Sparks flew early at the Energy & Commerce Committee meeting with protesters both inside and outside the room repeatedly attempting to disrupt proceedings – with 26 people arrested by Capitol Police. Protesters against Medicaid cuts, predominately in wheelchairs, remained outside the budget markup for several hours as representatives inside debated that and other critical facets under the committee's broad jurisdiction. Inside the budget markup, Democrats and Republicans sparred along party lines over Medicaid cuts. Democrats repeatedly claimed the Republican budget proposal will cut vital Medicaid services. Many Democrats shared how Medicaid services have saved their constituents' lives and argued that millions of Americans could lose coverage under the current proposal. Meanwhile, Republicans accused Democrats of lying to the American people about Medicaid cuts – a word Kentucky Republican Rep. Brett Guthrie, Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, deterred his colleagues from using. Tensions arose when the word was repeated as Democrats called it a mischaracterization of their testimonies. Republicans have contended that their bill only seeks to cut waste, fraud, and abuse of the Medicaid system, leaving more of its resources for vulnerable populations that truly need it. That committee was tasked with finding $880 billion in spending cuts to offset Trump's other funding priorities. Guthrie told House Republicans on a call Sunday night that they'd found upwards of $900 billion in cuts. Democrats have seized on Republican reforms to Medicaid, including heightened work requirements and shifting more costs to certain states, as a political cudgel. At one point late in the evening, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., made an appearance at the Energy & Commerce panel's meeting. "I just want to mention our Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries is here because of his concern about Medicaid. Thank you," the committee's top Democrat, Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., said. But tensions remain between moderate Republicans and conservatives about the level of cuts the committee is seeking to the former Biden administration's Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) green energy tax subsidies. Several Democratic amendments were also offered throughout the night to preserve the green energy bill, but all were shot down. By early Tuesday morning, the Energy & Commerce Committee had advanced portions of its bill, rolling back significant chunks of the IRA and setting standards for telecommunication – including a decade-long moratorium on state-level laws dealing with artificial intelligence (AI). The meeting at the Ways & Means Committee had relatively little fanfare but was equally contentious as Democrats attempted to offer amendments to preserve Affordable Care Act tax credits, cap tax cuts for the wealthy, and changes to the state and local tax (SALT) deduction cap. At one point, Reps. Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas, and Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., got into a heated exchange over SALT, with Suozzi pushing Van Duyne on whether she'd ever been to New York. Van Duyne earlier called Texas a "donor state" in terms of taxes, arguing, "We should not have to pay to make up for the rich folks in New York who are getting raped by their local and state governments." Suozzi later pointed out Van Duyne was born and went to college in upstate New York – leading to audible gasps in the room. Van Duyne said there was "a reason" she left. "We're sorry you left New York, but in some ways it may have worked out better for all of us," Suozzi said. The SALT deduction cap, however, is still a politically tricky issue even as House lawmakers debate what Republicans hoped would be the final bill. The legislation would raise the $10,000 SALT deduction cap to $30,000 for most single and married tax filers – a figure that Republicans in higher cost-of-living areas said was not enough. Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., threatened to vote against the final bill if the new cap remains. As the committee's marathon meeting continued, a group of blue state Republicans huddled with House GOP leaders to find a compromise on a way forward. Rep. Nick LaLota, R-N.Y., hinted at tensions in the meeting when he posted on X that Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., a member of the SALT Caucus and Ways & Means Committee, "wasn't involved in today's meeting" because her district required "something different than mine and the other most SALTY five." Malliotakis previously told Fox News Digital she was supportive of the $30,000 cap. She's also the only member of the SALT Caucus on the critical tax-writing panel. As morning rose on House lawmakers, Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., quipped at the tax meeting, "I see the light coming in from the East…I think it's going to be a Disney day." The Agriculture Committee, which began its meeting on Tuesday evening, saw Democrats waste no time in accusing Republicans of trying to gut the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), colloquially known as food stamps. Rep. Adam Gray, D-Calif., accused Republicans of worrying that "somebody is getting a meal they didn't deserve or kids are getting too fat" instead of more critical issues. Republicans, like Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, touted the bill's inclusion of crop insurance for young farmers, increasing opportunity for export markets, and helping invest in national animal disaster centers aimed at preventing and mitigating livestock illness. He also said Republicans were working to "secure" SNAP from waste and abuse. House and Senate Republicans are working on Trump's agenda via the budget reconciliation process, which allows the party in power to sideline the minority by lowering the Senate's threshold for passage to a simple majority, provided the legislation at hand deals with spending, taxes or the national debt. Trump wants Republicans to use the maneuver for a sweeping bill on his tax, border, immigration, energy and defense priorities. Two sources familiar with the plan said the House Budget Committee intends to advance the full bill, the first step to getting the legislation to a House-wide vote, on Friday. Wednesday will be a critical day to see if that timeline holds. Eleven different House committees, seven of which have already finished their work, must each pass portions of the legislation before they're all fitted into a massive bill that must pass the House and Senate before getting to Trump's desk.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
House Republicans face down Dem attacks, protests to pull all-nighter on Trump's 'big, beautiful bill'
Three key committees in the process of putting together President Donald Trump's "one big, beautiful bill" are expected to work through the night to advance their respective portions of the Republican agenda. The House Agriculture Committee, the Energy & Commerce Committee and the Ways & Means Committee are all holding meetings aimed at advancing key parts of Trump's bill. Sources told Fox News Digital they expected the Energy & Commerce and Ways & Means meetings, which began on Tuesday afternoon, to last upwards of 20 hours each. The Agriculture panel's markup is also expected to last into Wednesday. Democrats on each committee, meanwhile, have prepared a barrage of attacks and accusations against GOP lawmakers looking to gut critical welfare programs. Anti-abortion Provider Measure In Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill' Could Spark House Gop Rebellion Sparks flew early at the Energy & Commerce Committee meeting with protesters both inside and outside the room repeatedly attempting to disrupt proceedings – with 26 people arrested by Capitol Police. Read On The Fox News App Protesters against Medicaid cuts, predominately in wheelchairs, remained outside the budget markup for several hours as representatives inside debated that and other critical facets under the committee's broad jurisdiction. Inside the budget markup, Democrats and Republicans sparred along party lines over Medicaid cuts. Democrats repeatedly claimed the Republican budget proposal will cut vital Medicaid services. Many Democrats shared how Medicaid services have saved their constituents' lives and argued that millions of Americans could lose coverage under the current proposal. Meanwhile, Republicans accused Democrats of lying to the American people about Medicaid cuts – a word Kentucky Republican Rep. Brett Guthrie, Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, deterred his colleagues from using. Tensions arose when the word was repeated as Democrats called it a mischaracterization of their testimonies. Republicans have contended that their bill only seeks to cut waste, fraud, and abuse of the Medicaid system, leaving more of its resources for vulnerable populations that truly need it. That committee was tasked with finding $880 billion in spending cuts to offset Trump's other funding priorities. Guthrie told House Republicans on a call Sunday night that they'd found upwards of $900 billion in cuts. Democrats have seized on Republican reforms to Medicaid, including heightened work requirements and shifting more costs to certain states, as a political cudgel. At one point late in the evening, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., made an appearance at the Energy & Commerce panel's meeting. "I just want to mention our Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries is here because of his concern about Medicaid. Thank you," the committee's top Democrat, Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., said. But tensions remain between moderate Republicans and conservatives about the level of cuts the committee is seeking to the former Biden administration's Inflation Reduction Act green energy tax subsidies. The meeting at the Ways & Means Committee, the House's tax-writing panel, had relatively little fanfare but was equally contentious as Democrats attempted to offer amendments to preserve Affordable Care Act tax credits and changes to the state and local tax (SALT) deduction cap. At one point, Reps. Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas, and Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., got into a heated exchange over SALT, with Suozzi pushing Van Duyne on whether she'd ever been to New York. Van Duyne earlier called Texas a "donor state" in terms of taxes, arguing, "We should not have to pay to make up for the rich folks in New York who are getting raped by their local and state governments." Suozzi later pointed out Van Duyne was born and went to college in upstate New York – leading to audible gasps in the room. Van Duyne said there was "a reason" she left. Brown University In Gop Crosshairs After Student's Doge-like Email Kicks Off Frenzy "We're sorry you left New York, but in some ways it may have worked out better for all of us," Suozzi said. The SALT deduction cap, however, is still a politically tricky issue even as House lawmakers debate what Republicans hoped would be the final bill. The legislation would raise the $10,000 SALT deduction cap to $30,000 for most single and married tax filers – a figure that Republicans in higher cost-of-living areas said was not enough. Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., threatened to vote against the final bill if the new cap remains. As the committee's marathon meeting continued, a group of blue state Republicans are huddling with House GOP leaders to find a compromise on a way forward. Rep. Nick LaLota, R-N.Y., hinted at tensions in the meeting when he posted on X that Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., a member of the SALT Caucus and Ways & Means Committee, "wasn't involved in today's meeting" because her district required "something different than mine and the other most SALTY five." Malliotakis had told Fox News Digital she was supportive of the $30,000 cap. She's also the only member of the SALT Caucus on the critical tax-writing panel. The Agriculture Committee, which began its meeting on Tuesday evening, saw Democrats waste no time in accusing Republicans of trying to gut the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), colloquially known as food stamps. Rep. Adam Gray, D-Calif., accused Republicans of worrying that "somebody is getting a meal they didn't deserve or kids are getting too fat" instead of more critical issues. Republicans, like Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, touted the bill's inclusion of crop insurance for young farmers, increasing opportunity for export markets, and helping invest in national animal disaster centers aimed at preventing and mitigating livestock illness. He also said Republicans were working to "secure" SNAP from waste and abuse. House and Senate Republicans are working on Trump's agenda via the budget reconciliation process, which allows the party in power to sideline the minority by lowering the Senate's threshold for passage to a simple majority, provided the legislation at hand deals with spending, taxes or the national debt. Trump wants Republicans to use the maneuver for a sweeping bill on his tax, border, immigration, energy and defense priorities. Two sources familiar with the plan said the House Budget Committee intends to advance the full bill, the first step to getting the legislation to a House-wide vote, on article source: House Republicans face down Dem attacks, protests to pull all-nighter on Trump's 'big, beautiful bill'
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
House GOP unveils Medicaid work requirements in Trump's 'big, beautiful bill'
House Republicans released a sweeping plan late on Sunday to curb who gets Medicaid coverage and roll back former President Joe Biden's electric vehicle (EV) mandate, among other measures. The Energy & Commerce Committee, which has broad jurisdiction, including over federal health programs, telecommunications and energy, was tasked with finding at least $880 billion in spending cuts to pay for other priorities in President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill." Committee Chairman Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., told House Republicans on a lawmaker-only call on Sunday night that the panel had found "north of $900 billion" in savings, however – a significant victory for House GOP leaders who weathered attacks from Democrats about significant cuts to welfare programs like Medicaid. However, Republicans largely avoided the deep cuts to Medicaid that were sought by some fiscal hawks in the House GOP Conference, a win for moderate Republicans who were more politically vulnerable to Democratic attacks over the issue. Anti-abortion Provider Measure In Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill' Could Spark House Gop Rebellion The legislation would put a new 80-hour-per-month work requirement on certain able-bodied adults receiving Medicaid, aged 19 through 64. Read On The Fox News App It would also put guardrails on states spending funds on their expanded Medicaid populations. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) allowed states to expand Medicaid coverage to adults who make up to 138% of the poverty level. More specifically, states that provide Medicaid coverage to illegal immigrants could see their federal Medicaid reimbursement dollars diminished, putting more of that cost on the state itself. The bill would also require states with expanded Medicaid populations to perform eligibility checks every six months to ensure the system is not being abused. House Republicans Release Tax Plan For Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill' Guthrie told House Republicans on a Sunday night call that the legislation was "ending" the former Biden administration's EV mandate. He said $105 billion in savings could be found in ending the mandate to have EVs account for two-thirds of all new car sales by 2032. Other savings are found in rescinding unspent funds in a variety of Biden green energy tax programs established via the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). It is not a full repeal of the IRA, however, as some conservatives had been pushing Republicans to do. That had been another point of contention ahead of the bill's release, with GOP lawmakers who have businesses in their districts that have benefited from the green energy subsidies pushing back on significant cuts. On the other end of the energy divide, the bill would also boost Trump's non-green energy goals by establishing a fast-tracked natural gas permitting route. The permit applicant would be required to pay $10 million or 1% of the project's cost to be on the expedited track. There is also a victory for social conservatives in a measure that would make certain large abortion providers ineligible for Medicaid funding. That measure was pushed by House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., himself, and was backed by anti-abortion groups like Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America. However, it could run into opposition from moderate Republicans – Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., called the provision "problematic" and warned colleagues they were "running into a hornet's nest" on the matter in the Sunday night call. The legislation does provide exceptions for places that provide abortions in cases of rape, incest, or when the life of the mother is at stake. It's not necessarily clear, however, if providing voluntary abortions would disqualify those locations. The Energy & Commerce Committee's legislation accounts for the bulk of Republicans' $1.5 trillion to $2 trillion spending cuts they are hoping to find in the budget reconciliation process. House Republicans currently have a razor-thin three-vote margin, meaning they can afford to have little dissent and still pass anything without Democratic support. They are hoping to do just that, with virtually no Democrats currently on board with Trump's massive Republican policy overhaul. The budget-reconciliation process lowers the Senate's passage threshold from 60 votes to 51, lining up the House's own simple majority threshold. Reconciliation allows the party in power to effectively skirt the minority and pass broad pieces of legislation – provided they address taxes, spending or the national debt. Trump wants Republicans to use the maneuver to tackle his priorities on the border, immigration, taxes, defense, energy and raising the debt ceiling. To do that, several committees of jurisdiction are working on their specific portions of the bill, which will then be put together in a massive vehicle to pass the House and Senate. GOP leaders hope to have that final bill on Trump's desk by Fourth of article source: House GOP unveils Medicaid work requirements in Trump's 'big, beautiful bill'
