House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson is trying to reign in Republican rebels in an overnight mission to pass President Donald Trump’s spending bill.
The House speaker and other GOP leaders were working Wednesday night to whip members to back a key procedural vote on the Big Beautiful Bill.
They are now planning to keep the vote open as long as it takes to get enough ‘yes’ votes to advance the legislation – which narrowly squeaked through the US Senate on Tuesday.
Members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, though, have raised concerns about the Senate’s version of Trump’s flagship domestic policy agenda – arguing that it does not go far enough to shrink the size of the government.
They have expressed doubts over the bill’s increased spending levels, provisions allowing government benefits for some illegal immigrants and funding for Biden-era renewable energy policies.
But Johnson just needs four more votes to advance the measure. Once that is completed, he plans to hold a vote on the bill itself as quickly as possible.
The goal is to get it to the president’s desk by the July 4 holiday on Friday.