House Republicans were called back to Capitol Hill late Sunday as the clock ticks down on their self-imposed deadline to pass President Donald Trump’s much-anticipated “Big, Beautiful Bill.” The legislation, aimed at restoring fiscal sanity and tightening federal programs, hit a snag with some conservative holdouts concerned about the delay in enforcing work requirements for able-bodied Medicaid recipients. While the GOP has emphasized that the bill targets only waste, fraud, and abuse, fiscal hawks argue the 2029 implementation date gives too much time for future administrations to reverse course.
The House Budget Committee is scheduled to reconvene at 10 p.m. ET on Sunday to continue reviewing the “One Big Beautiful Bill” following recent adjustments.
Four spending hardliners blocked the measure from being made out of the House Budget Committee on Friday, including Reps. Chip Roy (R-TX), Ralph Norman (R-SC), Josh Brecheen (R-OK), and Andrew Clyde (R-GA).
Some lawmakers pressed for a tougher rollback of green energy tax breaks established under former President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, aiming to dismantle what they see as wasteful climate spending. However, their efforts have sparked friction within the GOP, as other Republicans represent districts where local industries have profited from those very incentives.
House Speaker Mike Johnson explained that the primary concern raised was about the timing of Medicaid work requirements, with some wanting them to be implemented sooner. He acknowledged that they share this desire to implement the requirements earlier.
“The concern is … the ability of the states to retool their systems and ensure the verification processes, to make sure that all the new laws and all the new safeguards that we’re placing can actually be enforced,” Johnson said on Sunday. “We’re working through all those details, and we’ll get it done.”
Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” includes major provisions, such as the largest tax cut in American history, as well as the elimination of taxes on tips and overtime pay. It also proposes modernizing air traffic control and ending taxpayer-funded sex-change procedures for minors. Additionally, the bill mandates an 80-hour-per-month work requirement for able-bodied adults aged 19-64, starting in 2029, with volunteer work and education counting toward meeting the requirement.
Once the measure clears the Budget Committee, it will then have to pass through the Rules Committee before coming up for a vote on the House floor. Johnson stated that he aims to secure a vote by the end of the week to meet his original goal of passing it by Memorial Day.
