Members of the House Rules Committee concluded a hearing Wednesday that began in the early hours of the morning to consider sweeping legislation that President Donald Trump is dubbing a “big, beautiful” bill.
More than 17 hours later, they were still at it.
The markup hearing for the wide-ranging bill concluded just before 9:00p.m. Eastern Time Wednesday, after getting underway at 1 a.m.
The committee has not yet voted to approve or deny the bill.
The spending bill is popular among most Republicans, but a handful of members within the caucus have expressed concerns about its provisions. One of the most contentious parts of the bill involves changes to Medicaid. The proposal includes adding work requirements for older adults and some parents, though not all Republicans support these changes.
The legislation would also extend tax cuts enacted by Congress during President Trump’s first term, which are set to expire later this year.
Members of the House Freedom Caucus and Speaker Mike Johnson went to the White House Wednesday to meet with President Trump. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the meeting was “productive” and said President Trump hoped to pass the bill as quickly as possible.
Speaker Johnson returned from the meeting sounding an optimistic tone.
“I think we’re in a very good place,” Johnson said following the meeting. “We will have a manager’s amendment presented that will have some of these minor details. You will all be surprised there’s not much changing here, because the underlying product, we thought, was so well done.”
But as of Wednesday, some members of the House Freedom Caucus remain opposed to the legislation as it’s written.
“We’re trying to deliver so that the people who are actually out there working hard can actually get the health care that they want to get, that they can get and get it the best way possible,” said Rep. Chip Roy, a Rexas Republican who is a member of the House Freedom Caucus. “That’s what this is all about: changing a broken system.”
Given the size and scope of the legislation, Democrats criticized the timing of Wednesday’s hearing.
“If Republicans are so proud of what is in this bill, then why are you trying to ram it through in the dead of night?” said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass. “If you guys really think these are such great, awesome, beautiful things to do, like Trump keeps saying, then why not hold this hearing at 1 p.m. and not 1 a.m.?”
House Rules Committee Chair Virginia Foxx, R-N.Y., responded to Democrats’ concerns by claiming they live in “glass houses.”
“In the 110th Congress, Democrats held a meeting beginning at precisely the same time,” she said.
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Johnson has stated his goal is to get the bill passed by the full House by Memorial Day. He’s said it is possible for the legislation to reach the floor as soon as Wednesday evening. The bill would then go to the Senate, where changes to the legislation are likely.
On Tuesday, President Trump met with Republicans, trying to win over enough support to pass the bill in the House. With Republicans holding a seven-seat advantage and Democrats unified in their opposition, Trump requires near-universal support from the GOP.
President Trump described the meeting as a “meeting of love.”
“I think we have unbelievable unity. I think we’re gonna get everything we want, and I think we’re gonna have a great victory, and this man (Johnson) has done a great job,” President Trump said.
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