President Donald Trump’s signature tax cut legislation cleared a key committee vote on Sunday, advancing the spending bill to the House floor for a vote later this week.
The development marks a major win for Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), positioning him to meet Trump’s Memorial Day deadline for delivering what the president has called his “big, beautiful bill.” According to sources familiar with the negotiations, several concessions were made to secure the support of hardline fiscal conservatives.
Last week’s House Budget Committee hearing ended in a major setback for Republicans, as Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) joined four other GOP members in voting with Democrats to oppose the legislation. Roy argued that the proposed cuts to Medicaid and other federal programs fell short of meaningfully addressing the growing national debt. Roy also said the House shouldn’t wait until 2029 to impose work requirements on Medicaid recipients.
If ultimately passed, the bill would provide substantial tax deductions to most American households throughout the remainder of Trump’s second term.
While the details of the negotiated agreements were not publicly disclosed, Roy suggested in a statement that Medicaid work requirements could be strengthened or expedited, and that an even larger portion of the Biden administration’s green energy spending may be rolled back.
“Tonight, after a great deal of work and engagement over the weekend, the Budget Committee advanced a reconciliation bill that lays the foundation for much-needed tax relief, border security, and important spending reductions and reforms. Importantly the bill now will move Medicaid work requirements forward and reduces the availability of future subsidies under the green new scam,” Roy told Fox News in a statement after the vote.
Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC), one of the four conservatives who initially opposed the bill, said the group switched their votes to “present” after receiving written assurances from House leadership regarding the agreed-upon changes.
