House Speaker Mike Johnson’s aggressive push for Trump’s signature budget bill has been stalled by Republican infighting and unanimous Democratic resistance, casting doubt on its future.
At a Glance
- Trump’s budget bill stalled in House committee due to GOP divisions.
- Freedom Caucus demands deeper Medicaid cuts and earlier work requirements.
- Democrats oppose the bill over social program reductions.
- Moderates seek expanded SALT deductions, further fracturing GOP unity.
- Speaker Johnson remains committed but faces diminishing time and leverage.
Chaos in Committee, Crisis for the Bill
House Speaker Mike Johnson is facing mounting pressure as his party fractures over Trump’s 1,100-page “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” After a failed committee vote, Republicans are at war with themselves. Hardliners from the Freedom Caucus want sharper Medicaid cuts and immediate implementation of work requirements. On the other side, moderates from high-tax states are demanding more generous SALT deductions.
Even as Democrats uniformly rejected the bill over its cuts to social safety nets, internal GOP disputes have proved even more lethal. Representative Chip Roy blasted his colleagues for misleading the public: “Deficits will go up in the first half of the 10-year budget window, and we all know it’s true. And we shouldn’t do that.”
Watch a report: Johnson Pushes Forward Amid GOP Turmoil.
A Narrow Majority, and No Margin for Error
The GOP’s slim House majority has given small factions immense leverage, enabling both far-right conservatives and centrist holdouts to grind the legislative process to a halt. Speaker Johnson has called for weekend negotiations, hoping to hash out concessions that might salvage the package, which includes making Trump’s 2017 tax cuts permanent, new tax breaks for car buyers and families, and a sweeping $5 trillion tax relief plan.
Trump himself has weighed in online, demanding Republicans “stop talking and get it done,” accusing detractors of grandstanding. But even he can’t paper over deep ideological divides within his own party—splits that threaten to derail the bill entirely.
Johnson’s Last Stand?
Johnson remains defiant. “This is a big thing. We cannot fail,” he told reporters, insisting that the bill’s reforms offer historic savings and transformative economic potential. Yet even his timeline is slipping, as Memorial Day looms and consensus remains elusive.
While Johnson and Trump push forward, opponents within the GOP show no sign of backing down. Without a breakthrough, the budget bill that was once heralded as Trump’s legislative crown jewel may be dead on arrival—a casualty of the very coalition that was meant to carry it.
