Trump’s big bill advances in rare weekend vote, but conservatives demand more changes

By KEVIN FREKING LISA MASCARO and LEAH ASKARINAM Associated Press WASHINGTON AP House Republicans narrowly advanced President Donald Trump s big tax cuts package out of a key committee during a rare Sunday night vote but just barely as conservative holdouts are demanding quicker cuts to Medicaid and green power programs before giving their full patronage Speaker Mike Johnson met with Republican lawmakers shortly before the meeting and acknowledged to reporters that there are still details to iron out He noted specific changes were being made but declined to provide details It s all setting up a challenging week ahead for the GOP leadership racing toward a Memorial Day deadline a week away to pass the package from the House The Budget Committee which just days ago failed to advance the package when four conservative Republicans objected was able to do so Sunday on a vote of - with the four hold-outs voting present to allow it to move ahead as talks continue The bill does not yet meet the moment commented Rep Chip Roy R-Texas a leader of the House Freedom Caucus in a social media post instantly after the late-night session We can and must do better before we pass the final product The path ahead for Johnson is unclear as he tries to hold his narrow House majority together to pass the president s top domestic priority of extending the tax breaks while pumping in money for edge precaution and deportations all while cutting spending FILE Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump dances at a campaign event at the Cobb Power Performing Arts Centre Oct in Atlanta AP Photo John Bazemore File Republicans criticizing the measure argued that the bill s new spending and the tax cuts are front-loaded in the bill while the measures to offset the cost are back-loaded In particular they are looking to speed up the new work requirements that Republicans want to enact for able-bodied participants in Medicaid Johnson indicated he wants to impose the the work requirements as soon as realizable but acknowledged it may take states longer to change their systems Those requirements would not kick in until under the current bill There will be more details to iron out and several more to take care of Johnson R-La revealed outside the hearing room But I m looking forward to very thoughtful discussions very productive discussions over the next meager days and I m absolutely convinced we re going to get this in final form and pass it More talks are ahead but Johnson is looking to put the bill on the House floor before the end of the week Democrats have decried the cuts Republicans are proposing to Medicaid and food stamps to offset the costs of the tax breaks This spending bill is terrible and I think the American people know that Rep Jim Clyburn D-S C described CNN s State of the Union on Sunday There is nothing wrong with us bringing the authorities in balance But there is a concern when that balance comes on the back of working men and women And that s what is happening here The first time that Republicans tried advancing the bill out of the House Budget Committee last week the deficit hawks joined with Democratic lawmakers in voting against reporting the measure to the full House Those same four Republicans Roy and Reps Ralph Norman of South Carolina Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma and Rep Andrew Clyde of Georgia cast their present votes Sunday Related Articles Trump hopes for ceasefire progress in Russia-Ukraine war in Monday calls with Putin and Zelenskyy States are telling sheriffs whether they can or can t work with ICE Letters More politicians should follow Walz s lead on money for religious institutions Walz calls Trump a tyrant who is trampling Americans rights and violating the rule of law Joe Soucheray We pay for that plane Don t take the one from Qatar Donald Norman pointed to a current downgrade of the nation s credit rating in making his arguments for steeper reductions We ve got a lot more work to do Norman reported We re excited about what we did We want to move the bill forward At its core the sprawling legislative package permanently extends the existing income tax cuts that were approved during Trump s first term in and adds temporary new ones that the president campaigned on in including no taxes on tips overtime pay and auto loan interest payments The measure also proposes big spending increases for dividing line safeguard and defense The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget a nonpartisan fiscal watchdog group estimates that the House bill is shaping up to add roughly trillion to the debt over the next decade Johnson is not just having to address the concerns of the deficit hawks in his party He s also facing pressure from centrists who will be warily eyeing the proposed changes to Medicaid food assistance programs and the rolling back of clean vigor tax credits Republican lawmakers from New York and elsewhere are also demanding a much larger state and local tax deduction As it stands the bill proposes tripling what s in the present a cap on the state and local tax deduction increasing it to for joint filers with incomes up to a year Rep Nick LaLota one of the New York lawmakers leading the effort to lift the cap noted they have proposed a deduction of for single filers and for joint filers Rep Jodey Arrington the chairman of the House Budget Committee explained the bill remained under negotiation Deliberations continue at this very moment Arrington stated 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 If the bill passes the House this week it would then move to the Senate where Republican lawmakers are also eyeing changes that could make final passage in the House more intricate