Republicans struggle as holdouts stall Trump's tax bill
But then the measure stalled again.
As lawmakers shuttled in and out of closed-door meetings, a procedural vote was held open for more than seven hours to give Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson time to convince holdouts to back the president's signature bill.
In the end the procedural measure passed 220-212 along party lines on Wednesday, an indication but not a guarantee that Trump might have won over sceptics.
Voting then began on another preliminary measure needed to advance the bill to the main vote on the House floor, but Republicans then failed to muster enough votes as five Republican defectors voted against Trump.
Trump expressed frustration about midnight, Washington time, as the legislation he has marketed as One Big Beautiful Bill had not yet cleared the procedural hurdle, with voting continuing in the US House of Representatives.
"Largest Tax Cuts in History and a Booming Economy vs. Biggest Tax Increase in History, and a Failed Economy. What are the Republicans waiting for??? What are you trying to prove??? MAGA IS NOT HAPPY, AND IT'S COSTING YOU VOTES," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
A handful of so-called fiscal hawks, who oppose deficit spending, have voted no along with all the House Democrats, who are critical of cuts to social spending.
Republicans had appeared more optimistic on Wednesday night.
Leaving Speaker Johnson's office, House majority whip Tom Emmer told Reuters progress was being made and, eventually, "we'll vote on the bill".
The Senate passed the legislation, which non-partisan analysts say will add $US3.4 trillion ($A5.2 trillion) to the nation's $US36.2 trillion in debt over the next decade, by the narrowest possible margin on Tuesday after intense debate on the bill's hefty price tag and $US900 million in cuts to the Medicaid healthcare program for low-income Americans.
With a narrow 220-212 majority, Johnson can afford no more than three defections from his ranks.
Earlier, sceptics from the party's right flank said they had more than enough votes to block the bill.
Trump, who wants to sign the bill into law by the July 4 Independence Day holiday, met some of the dissenters at the White House.
Democrats are united in opposition to the bill, saying its tax breaks disproportionately benefit the wealthy while cutting services that lower- and middle-income Americans rely on.
"This bill is catastrophic. It is not policy, it is punishment," Democratic representative Jim McGovern said in debate on the House floor.
Republicans in Congress have struggled to stay united in recent years, but they also have not defied Trump since he returned to the White House in January.
Any changes made by the House would require another Senate vote.
The legislation contains most of Trump's domestic priorities, including extending Trump's 2017 tax cuts, cutting health and food safety net programs, funding Trump's immigration crackdown, and zeroing out many green-energy incentives.
It also includes a $US5 trillion increase in the nation's debt ceiling, which lawmakers must address in the coming months or risk a devastating default.
The Medicaid cuts have also raised concerns among some Republicans, prompting the Senate to set aside more money for rural hospitals
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