The fate of the “one big beautiful” bill remains unclear as Freedom Caucus members hinge their support on whether the deal they made with President Donald Trump earlier on Wednesday is cemented in the legislative text.
The manager’s amendment, which allows for alterations to the bill, dropped a little before 9 p.m. Among the changes were a higher cap of $40,000 for the state and local tax deduction, a key demand of blue-state Republicans; Medicaid work requirements that begin Dec. 31, 2026, instead of 2029; and an earlier phase-out date for some of the Inflation Reduction Act energy credits. The latter two were sticking points for the Freedom Caucus.
The amendment also strikes language to sell federal lands in Nevada and Utah, changes “MAGA” savings accounts for children to “Trump accounts,” and removes a federal requirement that firearm suppressors must be registered.
Whether this is enough to sway fiscal hawks remains to be seen. They had emerged tight-lipped from a meeting at the White House after talks on how to move the bill forward fell apart overnight.
The Rules Committee has been debating the bill for nearly 20 hours as Democrats offer up hundreds of amendments on legislation that includes over $1.5 trillion in cuts to offset extending Trump’s 2017 tax breaks. Over one hundred Democrats testified in front of the Rules Committee.
If it passes the Rules Committee, there will be two hours of debate on the House floor on the bill.
Neither Trump nor the holdouts met with reporters after the conclusion of the White House meeting. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said it “was productive and moved the ball in the right direction.”
“The President reiterated how critical it is for the country to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill as quickly as possible,” Leavitt said.
Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC), who sits on the Rules Committee, wouldn’t say if he would vote for the bill after receiving a deal from the White House, because he wanted to see everything they agreed to set in stone before making a decision.
“I’m not saying anything until I see it in writing,” Norman told reporters. “I’m not going to say, because things move around up here … one word could change this whole thing.”
“We’re going to get back together once we see it in writing, all of us that you saw in here, do that, and make a call,” Norman added, referring to the caucus members.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), who were also at the White House meeting, were optimistic when they returned to Capitol Hill. They told reporters that they would be moving forward with the legislation and to expect a vote “tonight or tomorrow morning.”
A whip notice sent out Wednesday night detailed that the House would proceed with a vote series later in the night or early Thursday morning, though no specific times have been provided.
“I think that all of our colleagues here will really like this final product, and I think we move forward,” Johnson said.
The speaker said there would be some “minor details” changed in the bill, which appears to be the case. Freedom Caucus members declined to share any changes they agreed to or whether they’d vote for the bill when exiting a meeting with Chairman Andy Harris (R-MD) Wednesday evening.
Republicans are now aiming to have a vote on the package in the “wee hours,” Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) told reporters exiting the meeting. He said he is voting for the bill and approves of the “whole of government approach” the White House pitched.
Several of his colleagues left the Freedom Caucus meeting without providing details.
Reps. Eli Crane (R-AZ) and Keith Self (R-TX) said “no comment” when asked if they’d vote yes on the bill. Rep. Josh Brecheen (R-OK), who was one of four GOP lawmakers who held up the vote in the Budget Committee, quipped, “All you’ll get from me is a long pause.”
Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), one of the most vocal fiscal hawks opposed to the bill text, was completely silent as he left the meeting. He wouldn’t answer any questions from reporters related to his vote or the details of the White House deal.
While Freedom Caucus members were huddling, centrist GOP lawmakers met in the speaker’s office to chat with Johnson. Main Street Caucus Chairman Dusty Johnson (R-SD) echoed the speaker, promising a “modest number of tweaks.”
TRUMP’S UNITY SPEECH DOESN’T SWAY SALT OR FREEDOM CAUCUS REPUBLICANS AT THE CAPITOL
“We are getting very close to a bill that is going to be able to garner the votes necessary for passage,” Dusty Johnson said. “We have every expectation. The speaker has every expectation that we will get there.”
“The president was incredibly helpful, and that meeting was incredible,” the South Dakota Republican added. “It was really productive and it had a material impact on moving the bill in the right direction.”
Lauren Green contributed to this report.
