Donald Trump’s whopping tax and spending budget bill has come back before the US House of Representatives, as the deadline approaches for the president’s 4 July deadline for lawmakers to bring him a final copy that can be signed into law.
The bill just barely passed the Senate, or upper house of Congress, on Tuesday. Vice-President JD Vance provided a tie-breaking vote following over 24 hours of delay and opposition from some of the Republican senators.
It has proved so far equally difficult for Trump’s supporters to advance the bill in the House, where Speaker Mike Johnson’s chances of a vote on Wednesday seem to be dissipating.
Members of Congress had cleared out from the House floor by the afternoon, following realisations that there were not even enough votes to get the bill through the rule that permits legislation to reach the floor, usually an easy procedural hurdle.
The House, or lower house, passed an earlier version of the bill in May by a single vote, and this bill, with new amendments that irritated some Republicans, now has to be reconciled with the Senate version. Both houses are dominated by Trump’s Republicans, but within the party, a number of factions are battling for control of key policies in the lengthy legislation.
The president has been quite active in trying to win over the holdouts and met at the White House on Wednesday several times in an effort to win them over. Ralph Norman, a South Carolina House Republican, was among the attendees for one of the meetings but remained unpersuaded.
“There won’t be a vote until we can make everyone happy,” he said, noting he thinks there are roughly 25 other Republicans who are currently against it. The chamber can afford to lose only roughly three Republicans to approve the measure.
“I got issues with this bill,” he said. “I got trouble with all of it. Sticking points are how much the bill will contribute to the US national deficit, and how far it will reduce healthcare and other social programs.
In earlier times of rebellion against Trump in Congress, Republican lawmakers have always ended up toeing the line. What is at risk this time is the signature piece of legislation for Trump’s second term. Listed below are the factions in the way.
