House budget committee passes key Trump tax and immigration bill despite conservative opposition

The House Budget Committee passed a key tax and immigration bill late Sunday, overcoming opposition from fiscal conservatives. The bill, central to President Trump’s agenda, now moves to the full House, where GOP leaders face challenges balancing demands from both hard-liners and moderates.

Late Sunday, the House Budget Committee advanced a sweeping tax and immigration bill central to President Donald Trump’s second-term agenda, narrowly overcoming internal GOP opposition from fiscal hard-liners concerned about the bill’s cost.

In a 17-16 vote, the committee recommended the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" for full House consideration, after four staunch fiscal conservatives — Reps. Chip Roy (Texas), Ralph Norman (South Carolina), Josh Brecheen (Oklahoma), and Andrew Clyde (Georgia) — shifted their votes to “present.” Though they declined to support the bill outright, their move allowed it to pass out of committee, highlighting ongoing tensions within the Republican Party over federal spending.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) hailed the outcome as a “big win” but acknowledged more negotiations lie ahead. “There’s a lot more work to do,” he told reporters.

The measure, which Trump has championed as the cornerstone of his domestic policy agenda, includes a permanent extension of his 2017 tax cuts and new provisions to eliminate taxes on tips, overtime wages, and auto loan interest. It also allocates hundreds of billions of dollars for immigration enforcement, national defense, and other administration priorities.

However, the bill’s massive cost — estimated to increase the national debt by at least $2.5 trillion over the next decade — triggered sharp resistance from deficit hawks in the House Freedom Caucus. On Friday, those four conservatives joined Democrats to block the bill in committee. After a procedural move allowed for a revote, it was reconsidered and passed Sunday.

The political calculus remains delicate. With only a slim House majority, GOP leaders can afford to lose just two votes on the floor if all members are present. The House Rules Committee could meet as soon as Tuesday to finalize the bill, giving leadership a tight window to broker compromises.

Notably, both Roy and Norman, who sit on the Rules Committee, voted “present” on Sunday and said they were encouraged by Johnson’s agreement to speed up implementation of work requirements for Medicaid — a key demand of the conservative bloc.

“The bill does not yet meet the moment,” Roy posted on social media. “But our vote allows further discussion this week to improve it.”

Still, any changes aimed at appeasing conservatives could alienate Republican moderates, especially those in swing districts who are wary of cuts to social safety net programs like Medicaid and food assistance.

Johnson said the bill remains on track for a House floor vote before Memorial Day and expressed confidence in the timeline. Yet negotiations remain tense as GOP leaders attempt to balance Trump’s policy goals with competing demands within their own conference.

Among the sticking points is a push by six Republicans from high-tax states like New York to raise the cap on deductions for state and local taxes (SALT), which was set at $10,000 under Trump’s 2017 tax law. GOP leaders have offered to raise the cap to $30,000 — a costly adjustment that still falls short of what some lawmakers want, and which risks further inflating the bill’s price tag.

Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.) said the bill needs “wind in its sails” and warned that the party must protect middle-class programs like Medicaid without hiking taxes.

But others, like Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.), remained firm in their opposition to any increase in deficit spending. “I will not support a federal budget that adds to the deficit,” Higgins wrote online. “Our actions now will determine whether our Republic endures or collapses under the weight of debt.”

While Trump has yet to personally engage in the negotiations — reportedly spending Sunday golfing — he remains in close contact with Johnson, who has been providing updates on the internal talks. How much influence Trump will wield in securing support from the far-right flank remains to be seen.

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