Trump's megabill faces stiff test in House as Republicans scurry to find enough votes

A Republican standoff has emerged in the US House of Representatives over President Donald Trump’s controversial ‘ Big Beautiful Bill ’. On Wednesday night, House Republicans were seen delaying a key vote on the bill as top lawmakers worked to lock down enough support to clear the procedural hurdle.

The key vote to open debate on the bill, passed by the Senate, remained open for more than an hour, while top lawmakers met with holdouts behind the scenes. The bill, which narrowly passed the Senate after Vice President JD Vance cast a tie-breaking vote, faces resistance from both conservative and moderate House Republicans.

Hard-line Republicans, including many members of the House Freedom Caucus , were seen shuffling in and out of the room during voting.

How Conservatives and Moderates within the GOP are holding off on voting

Many lawmakers from the Freedom Caucus have vowed to vote against the rule, which sets the parameters for debate. If enough did, and the effort failed, the House floor would have come to a standstill. The group is objecting to the bill’s projected increase in the federal deficit, the scale of Medicaid cuts, and what they see as watered-down rollbacks of green energy tax credits.

They argue the Senate’s changes have made the bill less fiscally responsible compared to the House’s original version. Meanwhile, Moderates voiced their concerns. Some centrist Republicans are worried about how Medicaid cuts and reductions in green energy incentives will impact their districts.

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Amidst the chaos, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), however, told reporters that leadership is waiting on some Republicans to arrive at the Capitol after facing travel issues due to intense weather across the country. He noted that the voting will be resumed once the absent members arrive on the House floor.

“As you can see, there are still a few members who couldn’t get flights in but are driving and finding other ways to D.C., and we need them here. As you know, we need their votes. And they’re going to be here shortly. So when they get here within the next hour, we’ll come back, finish this vote, then go straight into the rule vote,” Scalise told reporters.

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With 4 ‘Nos’, Republicans struggle to navigate a thin majority

There are currently four “no” votes on advancing the Trump megabill, which are enough to sink it, since Republicans already have a razor-thin majority in the House. It is pertinent to note that the GOP can only afford to lose a maximum of three votes. However, Republican lawmakers who voted ‘No’ as of now have the provision to reverse their votes as well.

Meanwhile, a number of conservatives and moderates who had expressed concerns about the bill haven’t voted yet. That includes Reps. Scott Perry (Pa.), Greg Murphy (N.C.), and David Valadao (Calif.). The Republican leaders who have voted ‘No’ are: Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.), Rep. Keith Self (R-Texas), Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.).

10 House Republicans have yet to vote on the bill. After a lot of back-and-forth, Rep. Ralph Norman, one of the most vocal opponents of the bill, told reporters he has voted ‘yes’ to the bill. He said he changed his tune after meetings with Trump administration officials today, The Hill reported.

“We got clarification of what’s going to be enforced. We got clarification on how the IRAs are going to be dealt with. We got clarification on the tax cuts. And still, we’ll be meeting tomorrow on the specifics of it. But no, I feel comfortable with this,” he said.

White House lobbies to get the bill passed

With 10 GOP votes still to be cast, the White House’s Rapid Response account on X put out a not-so-subtle message, expressing the intentions of the Trump administration. “THE ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL ISN’T THE ‘HOUSE BILL’ OR THE ‘SENATE BILL’ — IT’S THE AMERICAN PEOPLE’S BILL. CONGRESS MUST GET IT DONE!" the office wrote on X,

Trump also took to social media, encouraging Republicans to advance the bill in the House. “It looks like the House is ready to vote tonight,” he wrote on Truth Social. “We had GREAT conversations all day, and the Republican House Majority is UNITED, for the Good of our Country, delivering the Biggest Tax Cuts in History and MASSIVE Growth. Let’s go, Republicans, and everyone else – MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” Trump furthered.

pic.twitter.com/KCSgbMppwU

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 3, 2025

Meanwhile, the House has already managed to create history, officially conducting the longest vote in its history. Republicans kept a procedural vote open for more than seven hours as GOP leaders tried to convince Republican holdouts to vote to advance the Trump megabill, which is the next vote up.

The Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson , is now making his way around the House chamber, talking to Republicans who have voted against the rule or those who have not yet voted. He told reporters that Republicans “feel very good” about where they are on the Trump megabill.

“Well, it’s been a long, productive day. We’ve been talking with members from across the conference and making sure that everyone’s concerns are addressed and their questions are answered, and it’s — it’s been a good day,” he said while walking to the floor for the vote.

“We’re in a good place right now. This is the legislative process. This is exactly how I think the framers intended for it to work. We feel very good about where we are, and we’re moving forward. So we’re going to deliver the big, beautiful bill, the President’s America First agenda, and we’re going to do right by the American people. This is going to be a great thing for the country. Look forward to moving it forward," he added. However, it remains unclear whether Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill would float or sink in the House of Representatives.