Two Republican members of the House Rules Committee blasted the Senate-passed GOP megabill hours before the panel meets to prepare the legislation for a final decisive vote.
Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) told reporters he currently opposes advancing the bill out of the Rules Committee after the Senate’s changes.
And Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), a leader of the GOP’s ultraconservative bloc, warned that the odds of House passage of the party’s megabill by July 4 “are hell of a lot lower than they were even 48 hours ago” based on what’s come out of the Senate.
He also blasted members of President Donald Trump’s administration who have publicly blasted arguments that the bill isn’t fiscally sound — an apparent reference to White House budget director Russ Vought and even Vice President JD Vance.
“That is garbage,” said Roy, a member of the House Rules Committee. He added that he believes the Senate bill violates a budget framework House conservatives negotiated earlier this year: “I don’t think it’s close, especially if you add interest.”
If a third Rules Committee Republican balks, Speaker Mike Johnson would have a big issue getting the Senate bill to the House floor. But GOP leaders were confident Tuesday morning that would not be a problem.
