GOP Mega-Budget Bill Advances – But Conservatives Still Want Deeper Cuts To Medicaid

On Sunday night, the House Budget Committee approved President Donald Trump‘s mega bill after divisions in the GOP postponed its passage.

Titled the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” the final vote on the bill was 17-16 after divisions in the GOP had initially prevented the bill from being passed in the House.

The four Republican Representatives who had initially voted no on the bill during the initial vote on Friday were: Chip Roy of Texas, Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma, Andrew Clyde of Georgia, and Ralph Norman of South Carolina. However, on Sunday night, the four changed their votes from no to present, allowing the passage of the bill.

Although the four representatives changed their initial vote, they continued to express discontent with the bill.

Similarly, the rest of the GOP remains divided over the policies outlined in the bill. Fiscal conservatives are concerned that the bill does not cut off enough Medicaid spending, while representatives from swing districts remain wary of the bill’s cuts to health coverage and food assistance.

Here is an overview of what’s in store legislatively following the passage of the bill:

The central part of the GOP bill plans for over $5 trillion in tax cuts for individuals and businesses. Following the tax cuts made during Trump’s first term, the GOP seeks to make the individual tax cuts permanent.

The GOP budget heavily focuses on cutting Medicaid spending. House Republicans seek to reduce Medicaid spending by $800 billion, and individuals must also meet new work requirements to qualify.

The GOP also seeks to repeal the clean energy tax imposed during Joe Biden‘s presidency. These cuts would reduce the bill’s cost to around $3.8 trillion.

The GOP seeks to shift the costs from the Supplemental Nutrition and Assistance Program (SNAP) to the states. Republicans are also looking to apply work requirements to parents and older Americans to qualify for food assistance. The current legislation states that able-bodied adults without dependents, that is, any child or relative who qualifies as a dependent, only have to work until age 54 to meet requirements for food assistance. The new bill shifts this age to 64 instead.

The GOP is looking to block Medicaid funds from reaching Planned Parenthood, zeroing out support for the organization. They are also looking to eliminate taxes on gun silencers, which have been a policy since 1934.

New legislation also seeks to provide more funding for Trump’s deportation agenda. An additional $46.5 billion would fund Trump’s wall between the U.S. and Mexico, as well as over $6 billion to hire and retain border patrol and customs officers.

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Article by Sherry Chen