House Republican leaders rammed through their framework for a “big, beautiful” budget package Tuesday night after they initially couldn’t muster the votes, only to pull a last-minute switcheroo and start the roll call as Democrats who’d already started leaving the Capitol cried foul.
It was a major victory for Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who’s struggled to unite the conservative and centrist factions of his conference to rally around a budget reconciliation process that could deliver much of President Donald Trump’s agenda without the risk of a Senate Democratic filibuster.
Trump spent hours lobbying holdouts on Tuesday after Johnson, his leadership team and key committee chairs spent weeks trying to rally support. In the end, just one Republican — Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, also the lone Republican to oppose Johnson for speaker — voted against the resolution, which was adopted 217-215.
