Latest news with #HouseRulesCommittee
The Hill
02-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
GOP chair snaps at Frost: ‘You've gone over the cliff'
Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) struck a chord with the House Rules Committee chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), on Wednesday while lobbying against the Trump-backed spending package. 'You see, they say they're pro-life because they want the baby to be born, go to school, and get shot in the school. Die in the schools, die on the streets–' Frost said during his testimony before being interrupted. Foxx abruptly banged the gavel and told the Florida lawmaker he'd 'gone over the cliff' while railing against the legislation. 'I meant every word,' Frost told the chairwoman. The young Democrat was the last to testify in favor of sustaining the health care tax credits for low income families and individuals in need of financial relief for medical services. Democrats and Republicans have been feuding over Medicaid work requirements proposed in the 'One Big, Beautiful Bill Act,' that could strike millions from coverage. The Senate bill is now being considered for revisions in the House as GOP members work to meet the July 4 deadline President Trump set to sign the bill into law. Foxx said that just because lawmakers differ on their approach to solving medical crises, they are not in favor of people being shot. 'Might be good to leave your words. Because that's how you feel. But you are not going to come into this room and impugn our integrity! You will not,' Foxx said as she urged Rep. Austin Scott's (R-Ga.) to withdraw his motion to strike Frost's words from the record in an effort to reflect his disdain. 'We are pro-life people, from conception to natural death, most of us are. And don't you come in here and say, we want to preserve life so people can get shot,' she added. Frost shot back at Foxx, who has served 10 terms in the lower chamber. 'That's what I've seen,' he told her. Frost has openly criticized the Trump administration for its federal spending cutbacks and crackdown on illegal immigrants.
Time of India
02-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Rep. Joe Neguse grills GOP lawmaker Arrington over Musk's opposition to Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill'
On Tuesday, Texas Congressman Jodey Arrington found himself in a moment of apparent hypocrisy during a hearing on the Republican budget bill. Colorado Representative Joe Neguse attended the House Rules Committee armed with receipts to support his argument. In a discussion that took place hours after the Senate narrowly passed the significant legislation, Neguse questioned Arrington about the strong criticisms directed at the bill by Elon Musk, particularly concerning its expected increase of more than $3 trillion to the national debt. 'Elon Musk has been very vocal in his opposition to this bill... Do you think he's wrong?' Neguse asked Arrington, the chair of the House Budget Committee and an avowed deficit hawk. Show more Show less
The Hill
02-07-2025
- Business
- The Hill
House Democrat rips Murkowski on GOP megabill support: ‘It doesn't make any sense'
Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) tore into Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) on Tuesday for lending her 11th-hour support to President Trump's massive tax and spending bill, paving the way for the 'big, beautiful bill' to pass the upper chamber. In remarks during a House Rules Committee meeting following Senate passage of the bill, McGovern criticized the Republicans that voted in favor of the legislation, but said he acknowledges that 'in its current form, it is seriously flawed.' He quoted Murkowski, who said, 'My hope is that the House is going to look at this and recognize that we're not there yet.' The Massachusetts Democrat added: 'I mean, my question to her is, if you really believe that, then why the hell did you vote for this bill?' 'It doesn't make any sense,' he continued. 'It's a dereliction of your duty as the United States senator and as a representative for the people in Alaska.' McGovern also took issue with her suggestion that House Republicans would take the necessary steps to make constructive changes to the legislative package. 'I mean, when was the last time this current House of Representatives has fixed or solved anything? I mean, where have you been, Senator Murkowski?' he asked. 'This Republican House is dysfunction on steroids,' the Democratic lawmaker added. Murkowski finally agreed to vote for the 'One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act' following hours of internal negotiations and deliberations with the Senate parliamentarian. She secured some wins for the Last Frontier State but called the process 'agonizing' and said she hopes more will be done to improve the bill when it heads back to the House. The Alaska Republican emerged as a crucial 50th vote for Republicans and was at the center of negotiations throughout Monday night into Tuesday morning. GOP leaders worked to rewrite sections of the legislation important to Murkowski — including carve-outs for Alaska in Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funding cuts — to pass muster with the Senate parliamentarian and ultimately agreed to double the rural hospital fund to $50 billion. The senator told reporters after the vote that she 'struggled mightily' with the impact cuts to Medicaid and SNAP could have on vulnerable populations. 'This is probably the most difficult and agonizing legislative 24-hour period that I have encountered, and I've been here quite a while and you know I've got a few battle scars underneath me,' the moderate Republican said. Murkowski ultimately handed Republicans the crucial vote, allowing Vice President Vance to break the tie. Despite the bill's passage, the Alaska Republican believes it still can be improved. 'I had to look on balance, because the people in my state are the ones that I put first. We do not have a perfect bill by any stretch of the imagination,' she told reporters. 'My hope is that the House is going to look at this and recognize that we're not there yet.'
The Hill
02-07-2025
- Business
- The Hill
Live updates: House GOP set to tackle Senate's work on Trump megabill
Debate on President Trump's tax policy bill returns to the House on Wednesday, a day after the Senate narrowly passed the legislation at the end of a contentious debate. The House Rules Committee advanced the GOP's 'big, beautiful bill' early Wednesday morning after an hours-long meeting. With some conservatives and moderates unhappy with the Senate's changes to the legislation, its fate in the chamber remains unclear. The panel adopted the procedural rule in a 7-6 vote, with two Republicans — Reps. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) — against the measure. On Tuesday, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) had attendance concerns, citing weather, which could trip up the plan to get the bill to Trump's desk by Friday, the July 4 deadline. Trump has no public events planned for Wednesday. But his legal team notched a win, with the announcement overnight that Paramount Global has agreed to settle a high-profile lawsuit brought by Trump over a CBS News '60 Minutes' interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris that aired last fall. The deal comes after months of legal sparring and tension between the two sides. Catch up: Follow along here all day for developments on these stories and more.
The Hill
02-07-2025
- Business
- The Hill
House Rules Committee advances Trump megabill as potential GOP revolt looms
The House Rules Committee advanced the GOP's 'big, beautiful bill' early Wednesday morning after an hours-long meeting, sending the legislation to the floor for consideration as its fate in the chamber remains unclear. The panel adopted the procedural rule in a 7-6 vote, with two Republicans — Reps. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) — siding with Democrats against the measure, showcasing their opposition to the underlying legislation over deficit concerns. The hearing ran for nearly 12 hours, with Democrats needling Republicans about the bill, GOP lawmakers largely praising the measure and some hardline conservatives criticizing its contents. The panel convened at 1:30 p.m. EDT on Tuesday and gaveled out just after 1 a.m. EDT on Wednesday. Despite the successful vote, the legislation is far from being out of the woods. The full chamber must now debate and vote to adopt the procedural rule, which could get dicey as a handful of hardline conservatives vow to oppose the effort. If the rule fails, legislative business in the House would be brought to a standstill, threatening to thwart leadership's goal of sending President Trump the package by July 4, which is Friday. Republicans can only afford to lose three votes and still clear the procedural hurdle, assuming full attendance and united Democratic opposition. The House is scheduled to convene on Wednesday at 9 a.m. EDT, with debate first, then a vote. Two of those defectors, however, are already called for: Norman and Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.), the chair of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, say they will vote against the rule on the floor — and Harris said others will join them. 'That's exactly why a group of us are not going to vote to advance the bill until we iron out some of the deficit problems with the bills,' Harris said on Fox News when asked about Elon Musk's criticism of the bill. 'Look, Mr. Musk is right, we cannot sustain these deficits, he understands finances, he understands debts and deficits, and we have to make further progress. And I believe the Freedom Caucus will take the lead in making that further progress.' 'I don't think the votes are there, just like they weren't for the Senate initially until some concessions were made,' he added. 'I believe that the rule vote will not pass tomorrow morning, and then the Speaker's going to have to decide how he gets this back into the House framework.' Rule votes have historically been routine, mundane occurrences, with the majority party voting in favor of the effort and the minority party voting against it. In recent years, however, those on the right-flank have used the procedure to express displeasure with specific legislation or leadership. Despite those threats, attendance issues may scuttle the right-flank's plans. A number of members from both parties are having trouble returning to Washington, D.C., amid inclement weather in the D.C.-Maryland-Virginia area. Several lawmakers have said their flights back to the city were canceled. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Tuesday night said those conditions could influence when the bill comes up for a vote. 'We're having weather delays getting everybody back right now, but assuming we have a full House we'll get it through the Rules Committee in the morning, we'll move that forward to the floor and hopefully we're voting on this by tomorrow or Thursday at latest, depending on the weather and delays and all the rest, that's the wildfire that we can't control,' Johnson said on Fox News' 'Hannity' when asked about timing for the legislation. Regardless, the megabill's future in the House is on thin ice as a number of Republicans — from hardline conservatives to moderates — stake opposition to the legislation, threatening leadership's goal of enacting the bill by Friday. Conservatives are upset with the amount of money the bill would add to the deficit, while moderates are concerned about Medicaid cuts and the rollback of green-energy tax credits. The lawmakers prefer the original House bill, which they passed in July, over the Senate bill, which included a number of changes to their initial legislation. Despite the lingering qualms, Johnson is showing no interest in changing the bill — which would require it to head back to the Senate for a final stamp of approval, a reality that most members have little appetite for. 'We knew we would come to this moment. We knew the Senate would amend the House product. I encouraged them to amend it as lightly as possible. They went a little further than many of us would have preferred, but we have the product now,' Johnson told reporters in the Capitol. 'As the President said, it's his bill. It's not a House bill, it's not a Senate bill, it's the American people's bill. And my objective and my responsibility is to get that bill over the line. So we will do everything possible to do that, and I will work with all of our colleagues.'
