President Trump engaged in a phone conversation early on Thursday with several Republican lawmakers who are currently blocking his proposed “big and beautiful bill.” The situation unfolded as GOP leaders are striving to gather support for this extensive legislative package.
The call, made around 1 a.m., came at a critical time as procedural votes concerning the major initiative were lingering for nearly four hours, stymied by a faction of hard-line conservatives and a single moderate Republican.
By 2 a.m., the vote count was sitting at 207 to 217, with five Republicans opposing and eight remaining noncommittal. This mix poses a challenge for the voting rules, especially since Democrats appear unanimously against it, meaning progress on the larger package hinges on successful rule adoption.
During his conversations, Trump reached out to several of the holdouts, including Thomas Massey (R-KY), Victoria Spartz (R-IN), and Tim Burchett (R-TN). Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and housing majority leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) were seen exiting the room after the call.
Massey and Spartz cast their votes against the procedural rules, while Burchett chose to withhold his support. Interestingly, Massey flipped his vote, initially supporting the rules before switching to oppose them.
In their discussion, Massey hinted at a potential shift, indicating he might back the rules if Trump toned down his criticisms. This comes after a history of tension between Trump and Massey, especially when Kentucky Republicans opposed the Megaville House version in May, leading to Trump’s public disapproval, which included comments about military strikes on Iran.
Additionally, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) opposed Megaville earlier this week, further complicating Trump’s efforts.
In a late-night interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, Johnson shared that Trump expressed openness to dialogue with Republican holdouts, saying, “He actually called me about an hour ago and was eager to know who else needed to be persuaded. I told him that he should do his part, and we would handle ours.”
Trump also made various late-night posts urging GOP members to oppose the procedural rules critical to advancing key domestic issues, like tax reforms and stricter immigration policies.
Instead of concluding the voting process, Speaker Johnson opted to keep it open to hopefully win over those conflicted members and bolster the necessary support for the rules.
