On Friday, five House Republicans moved to advance President Trump’s substantial legislative proposal, often referred to by him as the “big, beautiful bill.”
A pivotal vote by the House Republican Finance Hawks pushed one of the key components of this proposal forward, concluding the Budget Committee’s final vote at 16-21.
The five Republicans from the committee included Chip Roy from Texas, Ralph Norman from South Carolina, Josh Bretzin from Oklahoma, Andrew Clyde from Georgia, and Lloyd Smucker from Pennsylvania.
Although the GOP could only afford to lose two votes from committee members, they managed to push the legislation on. Notably, Smucker changed his vote from YES to NO as part of a procedural strategy.
“Just to clarify—I’m fully in favor of the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB). My vote today on the Budget Committee is merely a procedural necessity, allowing us to continue reviewing the claims that will help push the OBB forward,” Smucker stated on Friday.
After the voting concluded, House Budget Committee Chairman Geordie Arrington from Texas announced a break for the committee. They are set to reconvene at 10 PM on Sunday, according to multiple sources.
The proposed law extends the tax cuts from 2017 and, combined with anticipated cuts to food and qualification programs by other GOP members, could save around $1.5 billion over the next decade. The bill aims to eliminate the Green Energy Tax Credit and proposes Medicaid reforms, which include stricter work requirements for “healthy” adults—potentially leading to millions losing their health insurance.
Some members of the House GOP are advocating for increased caps on state and local tax credits. In exchange, the Finance Hawks hope to modify the law and discover savings elsewhere.
“This bill is quite brief. We won’t address the deficit at all,” Roy commented during the markup.
