(WASHINGTON) — House Republican leaders — including Speaker Mike Johnson — are expected to head to the White House Wednesday afternoon along with members of the House Freedom Caucus to meet with President Donald Trump to discuss the megabill that advances the president’s legislative agenda, according to multiple sources familiar with the plans.
The critical meeting comes as GOP leaders are scrambling to get the bill back on track after negotiations went south with hard-liners overnight.
House Republicans’ efforts are ongoing as a House Rules Committee hearing is still going strong after it started at 1 a.m. ET Wednesday. Committee chairs and ranking members continue to debate the details of the more than 1,000 page “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which has changes to Medicaid, state and local tax deductions, SNAP food assistance, immigration policy and more.
The GOP is far from unified around the bill with several sticking points among Republican hard-liners primarily regarding Medicaid work requirements and a cap on state and local tax deductions. Trump spoke to Republicans on Capitol Hill Tuesday in an effort to persuade them to back his signature bill — at one point threatening to primary those who vote against it.
Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, one of the holdouts, said there is “no way” the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” passes in the House Wednesday — despite Johnson’s goal of putting the bill on the floor as early as Wednesday after it clears the Rules Committee. Johnson is still working to secure the votes of the more than a dozen Republicans who are seeking additional changes to the legislation. Without changes, there is enough opposition to defeat it as Johnson can only afford to lose three votes.
“We’re further away from a deal,” Harris said on Newsmax Wednesday morning. “This bill actually got worse overnight. There is no way it passes today.”
Key components of the legislation are set to come up in the Rules Committee Wednesday morning, which will focus on tax provisions, overhaul of SNAP and Medicaid cuts. However, GOP leaders have still not released expected changes — negotiated by hard-liners and moderates — to the tax and budget bill.
Rules Committee Chair Rep. Virginia Foxx emphasized that Republicans need to move forward on their bill to “ensure our economic survival.” She added that Republican changes to the package will be unveiled at some point during the hearing.
Rep. Jim McGovern, the top Democrat on the Rules Committee, lambasted Republicans’ reconciliation bill.
“I’ve got a simple question. What the hell are Republicans so afraid of? What the hell are you so scared of that you guys are holding this hearing at 1 o’clock in the morning. It’s a simple question that speaks to the heart of what’s going on here, and one that I’m going to keep on asking, if Republicans are so proud of what is in this bill, then why are you trying to ram it through in the dead of night?” McGovern said.
On Wednesday morning, House Democratic leaders led by Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries pushed back on the bill by introducing an amendment — one of the more than 500 amendments submitted by both Democrats and Republicans to the reconciliation package — to strike all provisions that they say would “cause millions of Americans to lose healthcare and food assistance.”
“Unfortunately, we are here today discussing a bill that would make that American dream harder to reach for millions by increasing costs for families, hardworking American families, and gutting the things that they need to survive and thrive,” Jeffries said, adding that the bill, if enacted, would force nearly 14 million people off health insurance.
Jeffries said that if the bill passes, “hospitals will close, nursing homes will shut down, and people will die in all of your districts.” He also attacked the potential overhaul to the federal food assistance program — SNAP.
Jeffries called the megabill “one, big ugly bill” that will “hurt the American people.”
Minority Whip Katherine Clark focused on the impacts the GOP’s bill will have on health care for women like access to fertility treatments and screenings.
“I hope this amendment gives you all pause when the women in this country deserve health care, and I hope you will think about the moms struggling to get by and stay healthy for the sake of their children and their families. It is not too late to do right by them,” she said.
Overnight, several Republican members left as Democrats burned the midnight oil — introducing various amendments to the package.
Ranking Member Bennie Thompson of Homeland Security expressed frustration with the process overnight.
“I described Homeland Security portion of this bill as putting lipstick on a pig. I come from an agricultural district as well as a part of the country. So let me use another farming analogy to wrap up: We may be here in the dead of night, but you do not need the light of day to smell manure. The American people are not going to be fooled by any middle-of-the-night, manure-slinging here,” the Mississippi Democrat said, adding that it “stinks to high heaven.”
Overnight, several committee chairs and ranking members testified before the powerful panel including Armed Services, Budget, Oversight, Natural Resources, Financial Services, Judiciary, Homeland Security, Transportation, Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce, Agriculture and Education.
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