Donald Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ Blocked by These Four Republicans [WATCH]

A major legislative package advancing President Donald Trump’s policy agenda hit a significant roadblock Friday, as five House Republicans on the Budget Committee withheld support during a key vote, delaying GOP leadership’s push for a full House vote next week.

The bill, which spans multiple issues including border security, immigration, energy, taxes, and the debt ceiling, failed to advance out of the House Budget Committee after a tense hearing.

Republican Reps. Chip Roy (Texas), Josh Brecheen (Oklahoma), Andrew Clyde (Georgia), and Ralph Norman (South Carolina) voted against the legislation, citing concerns over delayed implementation of key provisions.

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Rep. Lloyd Smucker (Pennsylvania) also flipped his vote from “yes” to “no” in a procedural move that allows the bill to be reconsidered.

To be clear—I fully support the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB). My vote today in the Budget Committee is a procedural requirement to preserve the committee’s opportunity to reconsider the motion to advance OBBB. pic.twitter.com/JRMLwb1ejT

— Rep. Lloyd Smucker (@RepSmucker) May 16, 2025

Smucker said afterward that he remained “quite confident” in the bill’s ultimate success.

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House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) announced that the committee would reconvene on Sunday night at 10 p.m. to take up the bill again.

The legislation is a compilation of proposals from 11 House committees and is designed to move through the budget reconciliation process, a mechanism that enables legislation related to spending and taxes to bypass the Senate filibuster and pass with a simple majority.

Tensions ran high ahead of Friday’s hearing. Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas), who had initially been expected to miss the meeting due to family obligations, made a surprise appearance, giving GOP leaders a narrow buffer.

Even with Gill’s attendance, the committee could only afford to lose two Republican votes to move the bill forward.

It ultimately lost four.

Ahead of the vote, Roy, Norman, Clyde, and Brecheen briefly left the hearing room and returned to issue critiques of the bill during their opening remarks.

The members, aligned with the House Freedom Caucus, expressed frustration with provisions such as Medicaid work requirements not taking effect until 2029 and the delayed rollback of green energy subsidies tied to Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act.

“Only in Washington are we expected to bet on the come that in five years, then everything will work. Then we will solve the problem,” Roy said.

“We have got to change the direction of this town. And to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, yes, that means touching Medicaid.”

During the meeting, Norman called for a recess to address concerns from fiscal conservatives.

“If they call for a vote now, it’s not going to end well,” Norman said, noting he was still waiting for commitments from leadership.

Outside the room, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) confirmed that discussions with holdouts were ongoing.

“We’re working on some questions that Ralph and others have, and we’re going to be getting them answers as soon as we get them back from the Trump administration,” Scalise told reporters.

Following the failed vote, Roy wrote on X, “We were making progress, but the vote was called, and the problems were not resolved, so I voted no. I am staying in Washington this weekend to deliver.”

He added, “Medicaid Work requirements must start NOW not 2029 & the Green New Scam must be fully repealed, as President Trump called for.”

We were making progress, but the vote was called, and the problems were not resolved, so I voted no. I am staying in Washington this weekend to deliver. Medicaid Work requirements must start NOW not 2029 & the Green New Scam must be fully repealed, as President Trump called for. pic.twitter.com/2305O08E8M

— Chip Roy (@chiproytx) May 16, 2025

Trump, currently returning from a diplomatic trip to the Middle East, posted on Truth Social ahead of the hearing, urging Republicans to unite behind the bill and labeling its critics as “grandstanders.”

Despite his appeal, resistance from members of the House Freedom Caucus remains firm.

A spokeswoman for the caucus confirmed to Fox News Digital that negotiations would continue over the weekend.

“We are continuing to negotiate. We are not leaving right now. We have been making progress and are continuing to work on the legislation,” she said.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has set an ambitious goal of passing the bill through the full House by Memorial Day and aligning with the Senate to deliver final legislation to President Trump by July 4.

Republican senators, however, have already signaled that changes will be needed, indicating that further negotiations between chambers are likely before any final bill reaches the President’s desk.

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