Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill' Overcomes Major Hurdle, Moves to House Rules Committee

The House Budget Committee approved President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill" late Sunday night after a handful of fellow Republicans decided to support it after voicing their concerns over it. It is now one step closer to advancing to the House floor.

The temporary resolution came just two days after GOP opposition joined Democrats in opposing the bill in the committee, tanking it over concerns that it did not do enough to rein in the nation's ballooning debt. The bill will now move to the House Rules Committee, where it could face more opposition from hardliners during an expected vote midweek.

The measure passed Sunday by a vote 17-16, with four hardline Republicans on the Budget Committee voting present after voting "no" on Friday: Reps. Ralph Norman of South Carolina, Chip Roy of Texas, Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma and Andrew Clyde of Georgia.

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. However, he said he couldn't comment on specific or any side deals that might have been struck, Axios reports.

"Deliberations continue to this very moment," Arrington said as he opened the session late Sunday night. "They will continue on into the week and, I suspect, right up until the time we put this big, beautiful bill on the floor of the House."

In a lengthy statement on social media minutes after the vote, Roy said he and the three other conservatives had secured commitments for changes to the bill that include speeding implementation of new work requirements for Medicaid and further curtailing clean energy tax credits created by the Inflation Reduction Act. He did not provide more details about either proposal, according to CNN.

House Speaker Mike Johnson indicated earlier Sunday that Republicans may move up the timeline for the implementation of work requirements for Medicaid recipients— in an effort to sway the GOP hardliners to support the bill.

Johnson added that discussions within the caucus over the bill will continue "over the next few days" and that the plan is to advance it to the House Rules Committee either Tuesday or Wednesday. If the bill clears the Rules Committee, Johnson will target a vote on the House floor by Thursday before sending the chamber home for a weeklong recess, The New York Times reports.

"Towards the end, there will be more details to iron out, and we have several more to take care of. But I'm looking forward to very thoughtful discussions, very productive discussions over the next few days," he said, adding that he's "absolutely convinced" the measure will pass by the GOP's Memorial Day goal.

Even if they get the package through, Senate Republicans will be waiting with their own fixes, according to Axios.

Among other things, the legislation would make President Trump's 2017 tax cuts permanent and eliminate taxes on tips and overtime pay, fulfilling the president's campaign promise. It also would raise spending on the military and immigration enforcement. Cuts to Medicaid, food stamps, education and subsidies for clean energy would offset part of the price of the bill, though they would not cover the entire cost of $3.8 trillion over 10 years.