GOP Conservatives Threaten Trump Tax Bill Progress/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ President Trump’s massive tax and spending bill faces internal Republican resistance as conservatives demand deeper cuts and moderates push for expanded deductions. The $4 trillion package includes tax breaks, work requirements, and funding for Trump’s deportation agenda. A key House committee vote Friday could decide its fate.
Trump’s Tax Bill Faces GOP Pushback in Congress: Quick Looks
- House Budget Committee set to vote Friday on the 1,116-page “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.”
- Conservatives want deeper cuts to Medicaid and SNAP, including immediate work requirements.
- New York Republicans demand larger SALT deductions, potentially increasing the bill’s cost.
- Speaker Mike Johnson says the bill sends a message of “economic stability.”
- Rep. Ralph Norman warns the GOP has “one shot” to get it right.
- The bill extends and expands Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, adding new ones like no taxes on tips.
- Includes a boosted standard deduction and $500 child tax credit increase.
- Provides $350 billion for Trump’s deportation and defense agenda.
- Cuts over $1 trillion in healthcare and food aid, affecting millions of Americans.
- Raises the U.S. debt ceiling by $4 trillion, now projected at $36 trillion.
GOP Conservatives Threaten Trump Tax Bill Progress
Deep Look
President Donald Trump’s marquee economic legislation — the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” — is barreling toward a critical test in Congress, as House Republicans navigate growing internal fractures over taxes, entitlement cuts, and deficit spending. At more than 1,100 pages, the package reflects the full scope of Trump’s second-term agenda: tax relief, spending reductions, immigration enforcement, and a renewed push to energize the economy.
But before it even reaches the House floor, Republican infighting threatens to derail the process.
The bill is scheduled for a key vote in the House Budget Committee on Friday, a usually procedural step that now carries significant political weight due to the GOP’s razor-thin majority. Conservative lawmakers aligned with the House Freedom Caucus are signaling they may oppose the bill unless it includes immediate and more aggressive cuts to social programs like Medicaid.
“We only get one shot to get this right,” said Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., a Budget Committee member. “If it fails, we go back to work.”
Conservatives are particularly frustrated that new work requirements for Medicaid and SNAP recipients would not take effect until 2029. They want those mandates implemented immediately and are demanding deeper, broader reductions in spending to match the bill’s tax relief.
Moderates Push Back Over SALT Deduction
At the same time, Republicans from high-tax states like New York are pushing to expand the state and local tax deduction (SALT), a politically sensitive issue that affects millions of middle-class families. Currently, the bill would raise the SALT cap to $30,000 for joint filers earning up to $400,000. But Rep. Nick LaLota and others are demanding the cap be more than quadrupled — to $62,000 for individuals and $124,000 for couples.
That increase would significantly expand the bill’s cost, putting them at odds with fiscal hawks who already worry about the deficit impact.
Johnson’s Balancing Act
Speaker Mike Johnson is scrambling to maintain party unity and ensure the package advances before Memorial Day. He framed the bill as essential to restoring confidence in the economy.
“I am convinced it will send a message of stability to job creators, entrepreneurs, and the stock market,” Johnson said.
What’s Inside the Bill?
The proposal extends the 2017 Trump-era tax cuts, including the top-line rate reductions, and adds new campaign-era promises, like eliminating taxes on tips, overtime pay, and certain auto loans.
Other highlights include:
- Boosting the standard deduction to $32,000 for joint filers.
- Raising the child tax credit to $2,500 per child, a $500 increase.
- Allocating $350 billion to immigration enforcement and the military, a core plank of Trump’s second-term agenda.
- Rolling back green energy tax credits, which were expanded under President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act.
To offset the estimated $5 trillion in tax relief, the bill proposes:
- Over $1 trillion in spending cuts, largely targeting Medicaid and food aid.
- New work requirements for SNAP and Medicaid recipients, including parents of children older than 7 and seniors up to age 64.
- Mandatory 80-hour-per-month work thresholds to qualify for benefits.
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects that these changes could result in:
- 7.6 million fewer people with health insurance, due to Medicaid rollbacks.
- 3 million fewer monthly SNAP recipients, as eligibility tightens.
Debt Ceiling Lifted
To ensure the Treasury avoids a catastrophic default, the bill also includes a $4 trillion increase to the national debt ceiling, raising the total to $36 trillion — a move that could provoke additional opposition from deficit hawks on the right.
Final Push or Party Showdown?
Majority Leader Steve Scalise acknowledged the internal tensions but said such clashes are expected. “There’s always final details to work out all the way up until the last minute,” he said.
Whether Speaker Johnson can bridge the gap between conservatives demanding immediate austerity and moderates seeking local tax relief remains to be seen. A failed committee vote would likely delay the package and embolden opposition in both chambers.
The House vote is expected next week. Senate passage remains uncertain.
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