May 18, 2025 - Politics & Policy

Budget panel sends Trump's "big, beautiful bill" to House floor

Kathleen Hunter

Jody Arrington and Mike Johnson — House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Budget Chair Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) (left) at the U.S. Capitol last week. Photo: Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The House Budget Committee approved President Trump's "big, beautiful bill" Sunday after Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) convinced a cadre of Republican opponents to drop their opposition pending changes that have not yet been publicly disclosed and may still be in flux.

Why it matters: It's a big win for Johnson and Trump, two days after GOP opposition torpedoed their first attempt at committee passage. But they'll still need to pass it through House Rules and on the House floor, where Republicans have a razor-thin majority.

The vote was 17-16, with four Republicans voting "present" and all Democrats in opposition.
GOP Reps. Chip Roy (Texas), Ralph Norman (S.C.), Andrew Clyde (Ga.) and Josh Brecheen (Okla.) voted present after voting "no" on Friday.
Norman said he was "excited about the changes" in the works for the bill.

Catch up quick: The panel on Friday rejected the bill in a 16-21 vote, touching off a weekend of furious negotiations with GOP holdouts on the committee.

Budget Chair Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) said during Sunday night's session that "most likely there would be some changes" to the measure before it comes to the floor.
But Arrington said he couldn't comment on specifics or any side deals that might have been struck.
Johnson told reporters at the Capitol earlier Sunday night that there had been "minor modifications" to the measure, according to multiple reports on X.

Zoom in: One of the stickiest sticking points has been the GOP's massive Medicaid overhaul, with conservatives and moderates pulling in opposite directions on proposed changes.

Even if they get the package through, Senate Republicans will be waiting with their own fixes, Axios Pro's Peter Sullivan and Victoria Knight report.
Johnson also has been trying to close a deal with blue state Republicans for a SALT compromise.
Trump urged Republicans on Friday to support the measure, posting to his Truth Social account: "We don't need 'GRANDSTANDERS' in the Republican Party. STOP TALKING, AND GET IT DONE!"

Editor's note: The caption on this story was corrected to reflect House Speaker Mike Johnson is a Republican, not a Democrat.

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Budget panel sends Trump's "big, beautiful bill" to House floor

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