Some members said the agreement was close to after the meeting, despite the holdout remaining.
President Donald Trump met with House Republicans on May 20 to urge a unified lawsuit over the budget settlement bill, the basis of the second term agenda.
Trump’s message to Republicans was a call to action, according to Rep. Dusty Johnson (Rs.D.).
“We’ve all been tinkering around quite well, and it’s time to land the plane,” Johnson told reporters.
Rep. Nick Larota (RN.Y.) said, “Everyone walked into the room and understood that for the country and your business, and that’s what I took from it.”
The bill highlights a rift between changes to the Medicaid program and the fiscal conservatives and moderates within the Republican Conference, which are at odds over the possibility of federal tax credits for state and local taxes known as salt.
During the meeting, Trump repeated his desire to cut Medicaid other than eradicating fraud and waste, members said.
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The current version of the bill does not include direct reductions in Medicaid spending, but imposes work requirements on some beneficiaries. Fiscal conservatives are calling for Medicaid labor requirements to be launched in 2027 rather than 2029.
When asked that Trump was going to tell the Fiscal Hawk who wanted to delay the bill rather than inadequate spending cuts, he said, “I’m a bigger fiscal hawk. There’s no one like me.”
The timing of phase-out of certain energy tax credits included in the Inflation Reduction Act is also being discussed.
This issue sparked a division within the House GOP Caucus as moderates, including Andrew Garbarino (RN.Y.) and Mariannett Miller Meek (R-Iowa).
Members told reporters that Republicans appear to be approaching an agreement after meeting with Trump.
“He’s a united person,” Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.) told reporters. “He’s totally sure we’ll get the job done.”
Higgins said he agreed that the deal would come soon, but refused to speculate on the timing.
Rep. Tim Barchett (R-Tenn.) was more optimistic about rapid resolution.
“We’re two and a half minutes away,” he said. “We have to make a decision.”
Certain fiscal conservative leaders supported the Budget Committee’s bill on May 16th over concerns that it was not sufficient to cut spending.
Four reps. Chip Roy (R-Texas), Josh Bretzin (R-Okla.), Ralph Norman (Rs.C.), Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) – He then attended the late-night committee on May 18th to continue the bill.
House Republicans were expected to release a compromised version of the bill later on May 20th. This will be considered by the House Rules Committee from 1am on May 21st.
The recommendations by the Rules Committee are the final step before review by all representatives.
“The question is, is this law better than it is?” said Rep. Mario Diaz Barrato (R-Fla.). “The answer to that is yes.”
When asked if he was ready to commit to the law’s vote, Rep. Eric Burrison (R-Mo.) said, “I need to look into the bill.”
Josephrod contributed to this report.
