A growing number of House Republicans, from moderate to intransigent, express complaints with key components of the Megabill that covers the legislative agenda of President Donald Trump, threatening to undermine the impulse of the package before an expected vote at the end of next week.
The speaker Mike Johnson faces another critical test of his accommodation and must corner his conference divided around the final reconciliation package in the camera. Johnson can only afford to lose three republican defections and there are currently enough legislators who indicate that the opposition to prevent the bill from advancing the Senate.
Intransigentes demand changes in the medical review
Several uncompromising expressed deep concerns with the Plan of the Energy and Commerce Committee, which completed a 26 -hour marathon on Wednesday afternoon, to review Medicaid, which includes new work requirements that will not enter into force until 2029 and impose more frequent eligibility controls for beneficiaries.
The representative of South Carolina, Ralph Norman, demanded changes, specifically the provision of work requirements.
The president of the representative of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, speaks as the representative John Rutherford and the whip representative of the majority of the House of Representatives, Tom Emmer, listens during a press conference at the United States Capitol, on May 14, 2025 in Washington.
Alex Wong/Getty Images
“The work requirements cannot be extended to 2029. I cannot come to your station and say: ‘I am here to collect a check. What are you doing? Norman? I do nothing.’
The president of House Freedom Caucus, Andy Harris, described the Medicaid plan “a joke”.
“The proposal to stop waste, fraud and abuse in Medicaid will do little to achieve it. The common sense work requirement for health Workers, adults of households in homes of household households, household standards, household states, those who do not pay, the standards of household households for homes of homes of households of those who are paying more, adults of households in homes of households, which do not pay, the states of homes of households in homes of households in homes of households, households states of households of households, those who do not pay, the standards of homes of homes of household households.
Representative Victoria Spartz, who often changes her position, said in X: “The Republican party is legalizing Medicaid for the illegal at a higher federal party rate than for the most vulnerable Americans, it seems hypocritical and ruined.”
Georgia’s representative, Rich McCormick, disagreed with the package in general.
“I don’t think it’s a yes at this time, but that should not surprise anyone. We have several things to exercise. There must be a minimum savings this year. The reason I say this is because, if you give me a 10 -year plan, tell me why that will not change next year,” he said.
The Republicans voted 30-24 to advance the bill to the Chamber Budget Committee, which will link the 11 bill under reconciliation on Friday.
The Frank Pallone classification member, Dn.J., said the Democrats made a “good fight” throughout the margin. The Democrats held photos and told emotional stories of their voters who trust in Medicaid, warning that millions of Americans do not sure of the Republican Plan.
Democratic representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez got into an irritable exchange with Republican representative Randy Weber around 3 in the morning on Wednesday when he asked a question about the consequences for those who had abbotted abbotted under the new work requirements of the proposal to receive Medicare.
“We would like them to go to Republicans. We have a dialogue in this way and not to a camera,” Weber said.
Talking to the occasion-chamber camera replied: “There are 13.7 million Americans on the other side of that screen there. Hello, Hello,” he said, greeting the camera.
“I am talking to you because I work for you. They deserve to see what is happening here because there are many districts, including Republicans, where 25 percent of your constituents are in Medicaid, 40 percent of your voters are in Medicaid,” he added.
Later, Ocasio-Cortez responded to Weber’s comment and said: “I am talking to them [constituents]And I will not give in because it was a terribly disrespectful comment, and I will not give in disrespectful men. “
Weber apologized with Ocasio Cortez later on Wednesday.
SALT REPUBLICANS
Republicans in the Committee of forms and Media advanced part of Trump’s tax bill at dawn on Wednesday after a 17 1/2 -hour marking, but the limit of state and local tax deductions is still in limbo and threatens the entire package, since several republican legislators of states such as New York and California oppose the current proposal of a deduction of $ 30,000 Elimination of those who earn more than $ 400,000.
“This does not have my support,” said New York Representative Mike Lawler. “As it is at this time, I am a no, so they will have to find a solution here, and quickly if they want to remain in the schedule they have delineated.”
Lawler said about the proposed limit of $ 400,000, claiming: “You are fucking a large number of people who are being affected by property taxes.”
“Then, from my point of view, we obviously continue the dialogue with the speaker in good faith, and I hope that we get there, but this is something that I will not be enrolled,” he insisted. “I will not be pushed to support something that screwed my voters.”
The representative Nick Lalota of New York also declared “there is no agreement without a true salt solution.”
“We are far from an agreement, but at least we are talking,” he added.
The representative of Missouri, Eric Burlison, said that Salt’s Caucus, including Lawler and Lalota, should “stop complaining.”
“You must support the cuts we need to find the savings we need to find. Leave of complaints,” said Burlison. “The reality is that we have a debt of $ 37 billion and we have a deficit of $ 2 billion. This is a mathematical problem.”
At one point around 5 in the morning, representative Blake Moore of Utah, who serves as vice president of the Republican Conference of the House of Representatives, fell asleep in its president.
When an employee called his name during a call vote on an amendment, Moore was sleeping, hunched in his seat, peacefully closed eyes. The employee repeated his name in the hope of awakening the congressman without success. Finally, the representative Michelle Fischbach of Minnesota bowed and shook her arm to wake him up.
Moore’s eyes opened with a playful shame when the room laughs. He dropped his head before leaning towards the microphone to vote not before getting lost in laughter.
Despite the thrust and pull within the conference, some Republicans are clear eyes on the delivery of a legislative victory for the president.
“I would love to see more things made with Medicaid,” said North Carolina representative Mark Harris. “But I understand it, and I feel that we just have to look at the overview.”
The budget committee of the House of Representatives is scheduled to convene Friday morning to unite the 11 bills under the reconciliation in the so -called “Great and beautiful bill” of Trump “before sending it to the rules committee and finally to the floor to vote next week.
Johnson said the Republicans “are still in the target” to approve the Megabill on his deadline for the Fallen Day.
“I feel very good. We are very positive to advance,” said Johnson leaving the meeting of the conference of the closed Republican party. “We are very optimistic on the way ahead. We have some more details to exercise, but we will solve them.”
