Update (11:00 p.m. ET): A dramatic scene unfolds on the House floor as four Republicans voted against the Senate-amended “Big Beautiful Bill” — at a time when House Speaker Mike Johnson could only afford three.
According to Fox News journalist Chad Pergram: “The 216-216 tie was lost by the rules. The Democrats got all their members in and held together. The Republicans have to give up one seat unless other Republicans vote against it.”
Now the question is: will anyone turn around?
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Update (2:50 p.m. ET): Are we having fun yet? Major divisions in the House of Representatives threaten to derail the Big Beautiful Bill, with Speaker Mike Johnson struggling to overcome opposition from fiscal conservatives.
Earlier in the day, the House of Representatives appeared ready for a test vote, but several conservative Republicans raised objections — suggesting that Johnson might not have enough votes to move forward, given that he can only afford a handful of withdrawals from the voting process.
As of noon, at least two Republicans had voted firmly “no” on the bill in its current form.
Meanwhile, Representative Thomas Massie says he has enough votes to block it…
Meanwhile, President Trump met with his opponents at the White House, while Democrats and Republicans debated the substance of the bill on the House floor.
Ultimately, Johnson has little room to maneuver – as any changes to the bill would send it back to the Senate for further consideration, which could take weeks.
Members of the House Freedom Caucus are furious about the Senate’s spending-increasing measures.
“The Senate can’t have the final say on everything. We have to resolve this,” Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) said Wednesday morning, adding that “right now” there are enough Republicans who want to reopen the bill and don’t care about the July 4 recess.
More moderate Republicans opposed the Senate-approved Medicaid cuts, which went beyond the House proposal in May.
