U.S. President Donald Trump’s ambitious tax-cut and spending overhaul bill narrowly cleared a critical hurdle on Sunday, winning approval from the House Budget Committee in a late-night vote. Image: NBC News.
(The Post News)– After days of Republican intra-party battle, President Donald Trump’s sweeping tax-cut and spending reform bill passed a crucial test on Sunday, winning approval from the House Budget Committee in a late-night vote.
The vote is a legislative win for Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), who spent the weekend in closed-door negotiations with the conservative holdouts trying to salvage the proposal.
Rep. Roy, a senior member of the Freedom Caucus, said this past weekend they progressed but not nearly far enough, highlighting changes to Medicaid work requirements but warning the bill still “does not yet meet the moment”.
The bill now advances to the House Rules Committee, which will weigh proposed amendments and potentially send it to the full House for a vote as early as Thursday—on the eve of lawmakers’ Memorial Day recess. Johnson remains hopeful, stating in comments with reporters Sunday night that he is “absolutely convinced” the bill will pass this week.
At its core is discord among party members on hardline requests for further Medicaid reductions and the repeal of Democratic green energy tax credits. Conservatives have pushed for on-the-spot work requirements for Medicaid beneficiaries and more aggressive rollbacks of federal assistance to clean energy programmes—two items that nearly derailed the bill last week.
Although Johnson said “minor tweaks” had been made to secure the committee vote, there are deeper differences. Some middle-of-the-road Republicans fear the drastic Medicaid reductions will damage vulnerable constituents, and others, particularly those representing high-taxed states like New York and California, are fighting for a higher cap on state and local tax (SALT) deductions. They may vote for it based on whether or not the bill is balanced by raising the rate for the wealthiest people.
The bill’s approval out of committee comes in the face of warnings from nonpartisan experts and credit rating agencies. The Congressional Budget Office puts the cost of the legislation at $3 to $5 trillion to the federal debt over the next decade, where the federal debt now stands at $36.2 trillion. Ratings agency Moody’s downgraded the U.S. credit outlook on Friday, as it projected unsustainable levels of debt to reach 134% of GDP by 2035.
In spite of that, Trump remains steadfast, labeling the package “THE ONE, BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL” in a Truth Social posting and calling on Republicans to unite”. The post further noted that “grand standers” are not needed in the Republican Party, emphasising that actions should be louder than words.
For Speaker Johnson, the bill is both a challenge to legislation and a political balancing act — balancing the needs of his party’s right-wing base without alienating moderates and suffering another embarrassing defeat.
Rep. Norman summarised the situation on Sunday night, stating that they made significant progress but still have more work ahead of them. Additionally, they are thrilled with their accomplishments—the goal was to advance the bill, and the outcome was as expected.
The coming days will inform whether that forward motion persists — or whether the cracks in the GOP deepen.
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