Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ suffers massive defeat in key hurdle before House-wide vote

President Donald Trump’s proposed bill faced a setback as it failed to pass the House Budget Committee on Friday, dealing a blow to House GOP leaders’ plans for a full House vote next week.
Several Republican representatives, including Chip Roy of Texas, Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma, Andrew Clyde of Georgia, Ralph Norman of South Carolina, and Lloyd Smucker of Pennsylvania, voted against the legislation.
The committee convened to discuss the bill, a comprehensive piece of legislation resulting from the efforts of 11 different House committees. The bill covers various policy areas, reflecting Trump’s priorities on border security, immigration, taxes, energy, defense, and the debt ceiling.
Tensions were high outside the meeting room of the House Budget Committee from the beginning, hinting at the unfolding events.

Rep. Brandon Gill of Texas surprised reporters by attending the committee meeting at the Cannon House Office Building, despite initial expectations that he would miss it due to being with his wife and newborn baby. Gill’s presence provided some flexibility for House GOP leaders, allowing for the bill to pass even with the absence of two Republican votes, instead of just one.
Before the meeting began, Roy, Norman, Clyde, and Brecheen briefly left the room without speaking much to reporters. Upon their return, they criticized the legislation during their opening statements.
Norman, at one point, called for a recess to address concerns raised by fiscal conservatives, emphasizing the need for commitments from House GOP leaders before proceeding with a vote.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, though not a committee member, expressed the urgency of advancing the bill through the Budget panel, aiming for quick progress.
When asked about Norman’s remarks, Scalise mentioned ongoing efforts to address specific questions raised by Norman and other holdouts, working to provide answers from the Trump administration promptly.
Elizabeth Elkind, a politics reporter for Fox News Digital covering the House of Representatives, has previously contributed to the Daily Mail and CBS News. Follow her on Twitter at @liz_elkind and share tips at elizabeth.elkind@fox.com.