House GOP fumes at changes to Trump bill: "Insulting and disgusting"
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Rep. Chip Roy and other House conservatives speak to reporters at the U.S. Capitol on May 21. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
House Republicans are looking on with a combination of horror and frustration as President Trump's "big, beautiful bill" morphs into something closer to a hulking monstrosity in their eyes.
Why it matters: It seems every House Republican you ask — from the most right-wing to the most most moderate — has something they don't like.
- For lawmakers from high-tax states, that's the watering down of a hard-fought increase to the State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction cap.
- For fiscal hawks, it's rulings made by the Senate parliamentarian that have axed a variety of spending cuts and regulatory changes they sought.
Driving the news: The Senate parliamentarian has ruled out provisions to cut Medicaid and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, weaken environmental regulations and bolster President Trump's immigration crackdown.
- Some of these provisions are long sought-after hobby horses that were added to the bill to win over the votes of specific House Republicans.
- Others are key pay-fors meant to offset some of the cost of renewing the Trump tax cuts, which deficit hawks in the House say are necessary to honor a budget deal they cut with the Senate GOP.
What they're saying: Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) "needs to honor the deal and find the savings and make math work," Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) told Axios.
- "We got that commitment from Thune, we got that commitment from the White House," said Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Mo.). "Hopefully ... they know that anything that doesn't really meet that, we mean it when we say it's not going to fly in the House."
- Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R-Pa.) told Axios he is "willing to accept a lot of changes to the bill," but if it doesn't comply with the budget framework "I won't be voting for it, and I think there's a lot of others."
Zoom in: On the SALT cap, which Senate Republicans initially proposed reducing from $40,000 in the House-passed bill to just $10,000, blue state Republicans are even more furious.
- "They need to get real in what they present us, or this bill ain't ever going to happen," Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.) told Axios.
- LaLota called the latest SALT proposal, which he said was valued at $200 billion, less than the $340 billion in the House-passed bill, "insulting and disgusting."
- "Obviously, there's a strong disagreement on the number and we're continuing to dialog with [the administration]," Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), a key member of the SALT caucus, told reporters.
Reality check: We've heard this before, only for House Republicans to turn around and vote for the bill under pressure from Trump.
- "There are concerns with the changes that they have made [in the Senate] ... I don't think we're just going to roll-over," Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas), a staunch Trump ally, told Axios.
- But, asked if calls from Trump may change minds, he said: "If Trump calls me and says you've got to pass the big, beautiful bill, we've got to do it."
