Gridlock in the House as Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Hits Procedural Roadblock

By Staff, Agencies

President Donald Trump’s ambitious budget reconciliation proposal—nicknamed the “Big Beautiful Bill”—stalled in the US House of Representatives late Wednesday, after a key procedural vote failed to gain enough support among Republican lawmakers. The setback has cast uncertainty over Trump’s legislative agenda as GOP leadership scrambles to salvage the measure.

The bill, which passed the Senate earlier in the week, is facing stiff resistance from within the president’s own party. A handful of Republican holdouts, mainly fiscal conservatives, refused to support the necessary rule vote, a preliminary step before the legislation can be brought to the floor for final approval. Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick [Pennsylvania], Victoria Spartz [Indiana], Keith Self [Texas], and Andrew Clyde [Georgia] voted against the rule, while Representative Chip Roy [Texas], a vocal critic of the bill’s limited spending cuts, abstained.

As of midnight Wednesday, the vote remained open as Speaker Mike Johnson and top Republicans worked behind the scenes to persuade dissenters. Johnson signaled he was willing to keep the vote open indefinitely in hopes of flipping some of the holdouts.

Even if the rule is ultimately rejected, GOP leadership is expected to revisit the effort as early as Thursday, hoping to move the legislation forward in time to deliver it to the president’s desk by Independence Day. The delay, however, has added to tensions among House Republicans, many of whom are divided over the scope and fiscal impact of the Senate’s version of the bill.

The proposed legislation would extend Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, raise the federal debt ceiling, and allocate more funding for defense and border security initiatives. It also includes cuts to social welfare programs like Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program—provisions that have drawn criticism from both conservative and moderate Republicans.

Despite the internal conflict, President Trump and Vice President JD Vance have publicly urged GOP lawmakers to unite. “The Big Beautiful Bill gives the president the resources and the power to undo the Biden border invasion,” Vance posted on X, calling on Republicans to act swiftly.

Trump, meanwhile, took to Truth Social to claim the party was “united,” encouraging Republicans to “beat the crooked Democrats”—even though Wednesday’s procedural failure was caused by GOP dissent.

Representative Jim Jordan [Ohio] attempted to downplay the discord, telling Fox News, “Sometimes it gets a little messy... but I think we’re going to get there.”

The White House has been actively engaged in negotiations, with several GOP lawmakers meeting Trump throughout the day to discuss their concerns. Meanwhile, Republican whip operations extended the House session for over six hours in an effort to secure votes.

The political tug-of-war comes as Congress balances domestic priorities with ongoing international military aid. The proposed budget maintains robust defense spending, including continued weapons shipments to allies such as “Israel,” even as the Pentagon recently paused some aid to Ukraine for what it called a “capability review.”

As the House reconvenes, the future of Trump’s signature legislative package remains uncertain, with divisions within his own party proving to be its most significant hurdle.