House Republicans’ “big, beautiful bill” is one step closer to passage after clearing a key procedural hurdle that sets up a floor vote later Thursday morning.
Republicans stayed overwhelmingly united on a test vote to advance the massive domestic-policy measure shortly before 3 a.m., paving the way for a vote on final passage later in the day — just in time to meet Speaker Mike Johnson’s Memorial Day deadline.
The 217-212 vote bodes well for Johnson, who can’t, with his razor-thin majority, afford more than a couple of GOP defections on a bill that isn’t expected to garner any Democratic support. In the end, only one Republican joined all Democrats in voting against the rule: Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who is expected to oppose the underlying bill as well.
“We are not rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic; we’re putting coal in the boiler and setting a course for the iceberg,” said Massie on the House floor during debate on the rule. “If something is beautiful, you don’t do it after midnight. I oppose this bill.”
But Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), who has also been vocal in his dissatisfaction with the bill and the surrounding negotiations, was also not committing to voting “yes” on the legislation in the coming hours: “We’re still trying to figure out exactly — what the timetable will be on a couple things in the executive branch,” he said coming off the floor Thursday morning, declining to elaborate.
The procedural vote came after a last-ditch flurry of negotiating that kicked off when President Donald Trump visited Capitol Hill on Tuesday to lean on holdouts, resulting in a key tax deal with blue-state Republicans later that day. It continued with an Oval Office meeting Wednesday where Trump and GOP leaders cajoled hard-line conservatives to come aboard.
The forward motion was smoothed by a 45-page amendment to the bill adopted in the House Rules Committee that was packed with hand-tailored provisions to woo Republican holdouts.
Changes include moving up the start date of Medicaid work requirements from Jan. 1, 2029, to Dec. 31, 2026, and expanding the criteria for states that could lose a portion of their federal payments if they offer coverage to undocumented people.
Lisa Kashinsky contributed to this report.
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