Johnson vows to try again after GOP holdouts block action on Trump's 'big, beautiful' budget bill

WASHINGTON (AP) — After abruptly halting votes, House Speaker Mike Johnson vowed to try again Thursday to approve a Republican budget framework, having worked into the night to satisfy GOP holdouts who refused to advance trillions of dollars in tax breaks without deeper spending cuts.

Even a hefty push from President Donald Trump couldn’t heave the package to approval. Johnson was forced to abandon Wednesday’s scheduled action as the Republican hardliners left him without enough support, and risked upending what the president calls the “big, beautiful bill,” which is central to his agenda of tax cuts, mass deportations and a smaller federal government.

“The president is very anxious for us to get this done,” Johnson, R-La., said as he left a late-night meeting with the GOP lawmakers. He said he expects votes on Thursday.

Pushing the budget framework forward would log another milestone for Johnson, who can only lose a few detractors from his slim majority. A failed vote, particularly as the economy was convulsing over Trump’s trade wars, would be a major setback for the Republican agenda in Washington.

https://apnews.com/article/house-speaker-johnson-trump-budget-gop-holdouts-960e539ec369d7a799c33d4f3d798976