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Fox News
4 days ago
- Business
- Fox News
Inside the late-night drama that led to Trump's tax bill passing by 1 vote
It was nearly 10 p.m. on a Sunday night when House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., surprised reporters in the hallway of the Cannon House Office Building. The top House Republican was making a low-key — but high-stakes — visit to the House Budget Committee before the panel's second meeting on President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill." The first meeting on May 16 had blown up without resolution when four fiscal hawks balked at the legislation and voted against advancing it to the full House. "The real debate was, is when [we] voted not to approve the budget. And the reason I did that, along with the others, was we needed to make the provisions better," Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., told Fox News Digital. "It was our opportunity to make a bill that overall was good, better. And that was the impetus to stop the budget, and then get some concessions. And then when it reached Rules Committee, there really wasn't that much dissension." The committee meeting continued with little fanfare, save for Democratic objections to the bill, before one more visit from Johnson, when he signaled the deal was sealed. "I think what is about to happen here is that every member, every Republican member, will give a vote that allows us to proceed forward, and we count that as a big win tonight," Johnson said. He was right, with the legislation advancing exactly along party lines. Fox News Digital was told that conservatives were anticipating what is called a manager's amendment, a vehicle with wide flexibility to change legislation, before the House Rules Committee's vote to advance the bill to the full chamber. The House Rules Committee acts as the final gatekeeper to most bills before a House-wide vote. Trump himself made a rare visit to Capitol Hill the morning of May 20 to urge Republicans to vote for the bill. House leaders again signaled confidence late on May 21, informing Republicans that they would likely vote soon after the House Rules Committee's meeting was over. However, that meeting alone had already dragged on for hours, from just after 1 a.m. on May 21 to finally voting on Trump's tax bill just after 2:30 a.m. on May 22. Lawmakers and reporters alike struggled to stay awake as Democratic lawmakers forced votes on over 500 amendments, largely symbolic, in a bid to drag out the process. Meanwhile, at some point overnight, talks with GOP holdouts went south. The House Freedom Caucus held an impromptu press conference directly after Chair Andy Harris, R-Md., met with Johnson. "The leadership's going to have to figure out where to go from here," Harris said. "I think there is a pathway forward that we can see…I'm not sure this can be done this week. I'm pretty confident it could be done in 10 days. But that's up to leadership to decide." Harris also said the Freedom Caucus had struck a "deal" with the White House, something a White House official denied. "The White House presented HFC with policy options that the administration can live with, provided they can get the votes," the official said. However, the manager's amendment, which finally came out just after 11 p.m. on May 21, eased the concerns of at least several of the fiscal hawks. It bolstered funding to states that did not expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), included additional tax relief for gun owners, and quickened the implementation of Medicaid work requirements, among other measures. Meanwhile, a small group of those House Freedom Caucus members had also been meeting with a small group of conservative senators who assured them they would seek deep spending cuts in the bill when it landed in the upper chamber, Norman said. "It was our hope that the Senate would come back and even make the cuts deeper, so that the deficit could be cut," Norman said. The moves were not enough to ease everyone's concerns, however. Roughly three hours after the amendment's release, Freedom Caucus Policy Chair Chip Roy, R-Texas, was the only Republican member of the House Rules Committee to miss the key vote. Fox News Digital inquired via text message why Roy missed the vote and was told he was "actually reading the bill…" Nevertheless, it passed by an 8 to 4 vote — prompting House leaders to warn their members to return for what would be an all-night series of voting and debates. Democratic leaders, recognizing they would be sidelined completely if Republicans had enough support on their side, again moved to delay the proceedings. A whip notice sent to House Democrats, obtained by Fox News Digital, warned left-wing lawmakers that "House Republicans are planning to finish debate and vote on final passage of H.R. 1 late tonight." The notice advised that House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., would force a vote on adjourning the House and that "additional procedural votes are expected." In a bid to keep Republicans close to the House floor for what was an hourslong night, the speaker set up a side room with snacks and coffee for lawmakers to wait out proceedings. In the House Appropriations Committee room just down the hall, more Republicans were huddled over cigars and other refreshments. The smell of tobacco smoke wafted out as increasingly haggard lawmakers shuffled between the two rooms. Fox News Digital even heard from several lawmakers inquiring when the final vote was expected to be — and wondering whether they had time for a nap themselves. Meanwhile, Fox News Digital spotted Harris and Roy walking the opposite way from the hullabaloo of the House floor, toward the much quieter Longworth House Office Building. Both said they were leaving for more conversations with White House staff before the final vote. "The manager's amendment gets us a little closer, but we're still in discussions with the executive branch to see whether we can achieve the objectives that we seek, which is support the president's goals on waste fraud and abuse in Medicare and Medicaid and, you know, making sure that we've got all we can out of the Inflation Reduction Act," Harris said. Roy said he hoped Republicans would go further against states that drastically expanded their Medicaid populations under the ACA. He also signaled that leaders suggested at the time some further Medicaid reform could come from the White House. "The speaker alluded to this afternoon…that there are things in the executive space, executive actions, that we think could take care of some of the concerns that we were having about — again, it's not what we want, but it does ameliorate some of our concerns on the Medicaid expansion front," Roy said. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and the speaker's office for comment. When it came time for the final vote, it appeared enough was done to get Roy on board. Harris, however, voted "present." Neither made themselves available for an interview for this story. The final vote saw just two Republican defections — Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., long a critic of Johnson, and Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio. "While I love many things in the bill, promising someone else will cut spending in the future does not cut spending. Deficits do matter and this bill grows them now. The only Congress we can control is the one we're in. Consequently, I cannot support this big deficit plan. NO," Davidson posted on X just before the vote began. Two other Republicans, Reps. David Schweikert, R-Ariz., and Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y., both fell asleep before the final vote — but both said they would have voted to pass the bill. In the end, it advanced by a 215-214 vote — with Republicans erupting in cheers when they realized the victory was locked. "The media, the Democrats have consistently dismissed any possibility that House Republicans could get this done. They did not believe that we could succeed in our mission to enact President Trump's America First agenda. But this is a big one. And once again, they've been proven wrong," Johnson said during a press conference after the vote. Now, the bill is expected to be considered by the Senate next week — when senators are already signaling they are gearing up to make changes. "I encourage our Senate colleagues to think of this as a one-team effort as we have, and to modify this as little as possible, because it will make it easier for us to get it over the line ultimately, and finish and get it to the president's desk by July fourth," Johnson said.
Bloomberg
22-05-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Freedom Caucus Threatens to Tank Vote
"Balance of Power: Late Edition" focuses on the intersection of politics and global business. On tonight's show, Rep. Ralph Norman (R) South Carolina discusses the latest on the tax bill and states that the legislation does not have the support to pass on the House floor. Senator Bill Hagerty (R) Tennessee talks about whether or not he'd make any changes to the tax bill, and Rep. Sarah Elfreth (D) Maryland states she would vote no on the legislation as it cuts health care coverage for hundreds of thousands of people in her district. (Source: Bloomberg)
Fox News
22-05-2025
- Business
- Fox News
GOP rebel mutiny threatens to derail Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' before key committee hurdle
President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill" appears to be in peril as of late Thursday afternoon, ahead of a critical meeting by the House Budget Committee to bring the legislation close to a House-wide vote. At least three Republicans on the committee are expected to vote against advancing the bill, a multitrillion-dollar piece of legislation aimed at enacting Trump's priorities on tax, the border, immigration, defense, energy and raising the debt limit. GOP Reps. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., and Ralph Norman, R-S.C., both told Fox News Digital they would vote against the bill in committee in its current form. Norman said Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, also would vote against the bill. Roy himself signaled he was opposed to the legislation both on X and in comments to reporters. "Right now, the House proposal fails to meet the moment. It does not meaningfully change spending (Medicaid expansion to able bodied, [Inflation Reduction Act] subsidies). Plus many of the decent provisions and cuts, don't begin until 2029 and beyond. That is swamp accounting to dodge real savings," Roy wrote Thursday on X. Other members of the committee also suggested they had concerns. Rep. Josh Brecheen, R-Okla., told Fox News Digital he wanted the Friday morning meeting delayed. And Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Wis., a rank-and-file member who is not known for defying House Republican leaders, said the legislation did not seem "sincere" and would not reveal how he will vote. With one expected absence for Republicans on the House Budget Committee, the GOP can only afford one "no" vote to still advance the legislation. Once the bill is passed through the House Budget Committee, it must then come before the House Rules Committee — which sets terms for debating the bill House-wide — before it is weighed by all House lawmakers. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has said he wants the legislation to pass the House by Memorial Day. "I think we're on schedule," Johnson told reporters leaving a conference-wide meeting on the bill Thursday afternoon. He also said he was confident Budget Committee Republicans could advance the bill on Friday. "I'm talking to everybody and I think we're gonna get this thing done on the schedule that we proposed," Johnson said in response to conservative concerns. Both Norman and Roy have complained that the legislation's provisions aimed at curbing abuse of the Medicaid system and rolling back former President Joe Biden's green energy subsidies in the Inflation Reduction Act did not go far enough. Timing is among their key concerns on both fronts. Conservatives have issues with Medicaid work requirements not going into effect until 2029, the end of Trump's term. They also questioned what they saw as a delay in phasing out green energy tax credits in the Inflation Reduction Act. "I questioned the timing on work requirements, I questioned the IRS phase-outs. I didn't get an answer on that," Norman told reporters after the Thursday afternoon meeting. "My point is, we need to have answers before it hits the floor." Clyde told Fox News Digital of his opposition, "I'm a NO on advancing the budget reconciliation bill out of the Budget Committee in its current form." "I'm actively involved in negotiations to improve this package, and I'm hopeful that we will do so quickly in order to successfully deliver on President Trump's agenda for the American people," he said. Another issue at hand involves continued tensions over state and local tax (SALT) deductions, which primarily affect high cost-of-living states — and Republicans representing critical swing districts within blue states. The Trump bill currently would raise the SALT deduction cap from $10,000 for single and married tax filers to $30,000 — a number that's not enough for a group of moderate House Republicans that's large enough to sink the final bill. Conservative fiscal hawks have said higher SALT deduction caps must be paired with deeper spending cuts. "SALT is a pay-for," Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., who is not on the budget committee, said in response to conservatives asking for offsets. He pointed out that SALT deduction caps would be eliminated entirely if Trump's 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), which Republicans want to extend permanently via this bill, is allowed to expire. "The fact is, if the tax bill expires, the cap on SALT expires, which means it goes back to unlimited. So any cap is a savings within the bill," Lawler said. "So this idea that we need to find a pay-for, that's not an us problem. That's other people's problems." But Rep. Nick LaLota, R-N.Y., another SALT Caucus member, signaled he would be OK with moving up the deadline on Medicaid work requirements in exchange for raising the SALT deduction cap. House GOP leaders are expected to continue negotiating with both groups, however. Both Johnson and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said they expected the Budget Committee meeting to go on as planned. House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, however, seemed less optimistic. "We'll see," he said when asked about the Friday meeting, adding the likely "no" votes are "potentially enough to delay it." Congressional Republicans are moving Trump's agenda via the budget reconciliation process. By lowering the Senate's threshold for passage down to the House's own simple majority requirement, it allows the party in control of both chambers and the White House to pass vast pieces of legislation while entirely sidelining the minority — in this case, Democrats. Eleven House committees have cobbled together individual portions of the bill, which will be put back into a framework that the House Budget Committee will consider Friday morning. Then it must head to the Senate, which will likely amend the bill, which then must sync up with the House before arriving on Trump's desk for a signature.
Bloomberg
21-05-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Tax Bill Won't Pass on Floor: Rep. Norman
Rep. Ralph Norman (R) South Carolina discusses the latest on the tax bill and states that the legislation does not have the support to pass on the House floor. He explains a big reason behind this statement is because of the downgrade of the US debt, and how the SALT cap deal plays into effect as well. Representative Norman speaks with Kailey Leinz and Joe Mathieu on the late edition of Bloomberg's 'Balance of Power.' (Source: Bloomberg)
Daily Mail
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
More lawmakers fall asleep during early morning vote
By Published: Updated: Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are still having trouble staying awake through their overnight sessions negotiating President Donald Trump 's 'big beautiful bill.' In the middle of a session that spanned into the early hours of Wednesday morning, it was 71-year-old Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) who was caught on camera dozing off this time. The 1:00 a.m. vote on the multi-trillion-dollar bill includes $4.5 trillion in tax cuts, but is widely criticized by Democrats for gutting social programs like Medicaid and food assistance. Critics claim that Republicans are being bullied by Trump into holding the vote that's forced members of Congress to stay in session overnight on more than one occasion. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.) tore into Norman in an X post exposing him for falling asleep around 2:15 a.m. during the consequential session. 'Rep. Ralph Norman is ripping health care away from 13 million Americans not exciting enough to stay awake?' the 65-year-old congresswoman posted along with a clip of Norman slipping into sleep. Some on social media pointed to Norman's age as the problem, claiming there needs to be limitations on how old a serving member of Congress can be. 'We need mandatory retirement for ALL politicians in addition to term limits,' one user responded to the footage. 'It's the only way to ensure relevant leadership at the top. The federal Congress and Senate shouldn't be in the Nursing Home business.' But just a week prior during another overnight session, three other members were caught sleeping on the job – one who is relatively young compared to the average age of those serving in Congress. Utah Republican Rep. Blake Moore, 44, was among those who was taped dozing off during the bill markup overnight from May 13 to 14. A clip shows the lawmaker being gently shaken awake by a colleague after he missed a question during his nap. Other clips emerged that night showing 71-year-old Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) and 80-year-old Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) asleep on Capitol Hill. The Wednesday morning snooze-fest sparked outrage online – as did the latest mid-session nap from Norman. It's not clear what other lawmakers were sleeping but not caught on camera, but the late night sessions are clearly weighing on several members – Democrat and Republican alike. 'As a former lobbyist, I can tell you that sleeping on the job is one of the few things that Democrats and Republicans have in common,' one X user wrote when the latest clip emerged on Wednesday morning.
