House GOP Faces Internal Turmoil Over Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ as Senate Version Heads to Vote
by Emmitt Barry, with reporting from Washington D.C. Bureau Staff
(Worthy News) – A wave of internal opposition is threatening President Donald Trump’s top legislative priority, the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” as key factions within the House Republican conference reject the Senate-passed version ahead of a critical vote expected this week.
The Senate narrowly passed the sweeping legislation early Tuesday morning, with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote. The bill includes a permanent extension of the 2017 Trump tax cuts, no tax on tips or overtime, a $150 billion boost in defense funding, reforms to Medicaid, and major investments in border security. But the revised Senate version, which adds $3.4 trillion to the deficit over the next decade, has drawn sharp criticism from both fiscal conservatives and moderate Republicans.
With only a slim 220-212 majority in the House, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) can afford to lose just three GOP votes if Democrats remain united in opposition. At least a half-dozen House Republicans, including members of the influential House Freedom Caucus, have signaled they will vote no unless substantial changes are made.
“This bill is a nonstarter,” said Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), who opposed advancing the bill out of the House Rules Committee on Tuesday alongside Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas). “It’s not what we agreed to. From clean energy credits to the expanded debt load, this isn’t the conservative vision we passed weeks ago.”
The House originally passed its version of the bill by a single vote in May, capping spending increases and cutting $1.5 trillion over ten years. The Senate’s alterations–raising the debt ceiling by another trillion dollars, loosening conditions on phasing out clean-energy tax credits, and imposing deeper Medicaid changes–have caused dismay among centrists and fiscal hawks alike. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the Senate version would leave 12 million Americans uninsured by 2034.
Despite the backlash, House GOP leadership is pressing forward. The Rules Committee advanced the bill by a narrow 7-6 margin Tuesday, and a full House vote could come as soon as Wednesday or Thursday. Behind the scenes, Trump and Johnson are working to peel away the opposition, banking on past success in unifying fractured Republicans behind major legislation.
“I’m not happy with what the Senate did to our product, but we understand this is the process,” Johnson said. “We will be working to get all our members to ‘yes.'”
Trump echoed that optimism aboard Air Force One Tuesday, saying, “We thought the Senate would be the tough part. We got what we needed there. Now it’s time for the House to deliver.”
But Freedom Caucus leaders say they remain unconvinced. “The Senate’s version adds $651 billion to the deficit–and that’s before interest,” the group posted on X. “That’s not fiscal responsibility. It’s not what we agreed to.”
At the heart of the internal battle is the question of loyalty versus principle. Some staunch Trump allies, like Rep. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.), say they want to help the president but must also remain true to their fiscal commitments. Others fear political retribution. Trump has already warned that “grandstanders” who oppose the bill could face primary challengers.
Democrats, meanwhile, are unified in opposition. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) called the bill “dangerous,” warning it would “hurt everyday Americans and reward billionaire donors.”
Still, Republican leadership remains hopeful.
“Republicans were elected to do exactly what this bill achieves: secure the border, make tax cuts permanent, unleash American energy dominance, restore peace through strength, cut wasteful spending, and return to a government that puts Americans first,” said a joint statement from Speaker Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), and Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-Mich.).
The House’s next steps will determine whether Trump’s legislative legacy takes another leap forward–or hits a July 4th roadblock.
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