{"id":2638072,"date":"2026-07-31T06:52:01","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T10:52:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-the-big-beautiful-bill-became-law-getting-the-votes-in-the-house\/"},"modified":"2026-07-31T07:03:03","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T11:03:03","slug":"how-the-big-beautiful-bill-became-law-getting-the-votes-in-the-house","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-the-big-beautiful-bill-became-law-getting-the-votes-in-the-house\/","title":{"rendered":"How the Big Beautiful Bill became law: Getting the votes in the House"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fhow-the-big-beautiful-bill-became-law-getting-the-votes-in-the-house%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2638072&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article describes the intense legislative process surrounding the passage of the &#8220;One Big Beautiful Bill Act&#8221; (OBBBA) by the U.S. House of representatives. House Republicans were initially lagging in votes, and a prolonged, high-stakes vote lasted over seven hours as leaders worked to secure enough support to send the bill to President Trump by July 4. Notable moments included White House negotiations, meetings with key lawmakers, and strategic voting decisions amidst fatigue and political pressure.<\/p>\n<p>Republican leaders, including House Speaker Mike Johnson and others, engaged in behind-the-scenes negotiations, including summoning holdout members to the White House to sway opinions. Some lawmakers, like Rep. Byron Donalds, acted as intermediaries between the administration and dissenting members.The process involved contentious debates over fiscal policies, public land sales, and legislative amendments, notably efforts to include or remove land sales provisions opposed by certain members like Rep. Ryan Zinke.<\/p>\n<p>The final passage involved last-minute negotiations, amendments, and compromises, with some lawmakers feeling pressured and exhausted. Despite challenges, the bill ultimately passed with a narrow majority, helped by concessions to holdouts and strategic legislative maneuvers. The successful passage marked a significant achievement for House leadership and showcased trump\u2019s influence in guiding legislation thru a divided Congress.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">House <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/republicans\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"240\">Republicans<\/a> were way down in the count.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They were desperately trying to pass a procedural motion on the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/the-big-beautiful-bill\/\">One Big Beautiful Bill Act<\/a> to set up a final vote to approve it. The political stakes couldn\u2019t be higher.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4662183\/big-beautiful-bill-getting-the-votes-house-republicans\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>How the Big Beautiful Bill became law: Getting the votes in the House<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/finance\/4668326\/russ-vought-thune-caution-white-house-pushes-save-america-act-budget-fight-pentagon\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Thune urges caution as White House pushes for SAVE America Act budget fight<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/finance\/4659171\/ritchie-torres-sec-investigate-trump-media\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Ritchie Torres asks SEC to investigate Trump Media plan to monetize data<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">All 212\u00a0House\u00a0Democrats quickly voted no, and at one point in the middle of the night, the roll call was stuck at 207 for and 217 against, with five Republican no votes and 8 GOP lawmakers not yet voting. Most of the eight were threatening to reject the bill.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The\u00a0vote was technically scheduled to be 15 minutes. It lasted seven hours and 23 minutes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There certainly was a lot of time to kill. Some members had adult beverages, others ordered take-out, and many caught cat naps. House Speaker <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/mike-johnson\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"7043\">Mike Johnson<\/a> (R-LA), a devout Southern Baptist and evangelical Christian, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/speaker-johnson-trump-tax-bill-christian-prayer-f82ed140d9110d5cc7b4029b681ea9eb\">stopped by the House\u00a0chapel <\/a>to pray.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Days earlier, the Senate had <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3458684\/trump-one-big-beautiful-bill-senate-vote\/\">narrowly passed its version of the OBBBA<\/a>, and now\u00a0House\u00a0leadership had to convince its members to accept the changes made to the legislation and send it to President Donald Trump\u2019s desk by July 4. Getting House members to back a Senate measure is usually difficult, especially on high-profile legislation.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">House Republican leaders worked on the holdouts, as did Trump,\u00a0through many phone calls. It looked like a dire situation, but House GOP officials insisted to the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> that they were confident. They had come too far to fall short. And after all, there\u2019s no limit on how long a vote can be, so they were all in, no matter how long it took.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The math, however, was difficult. Leadership could afford only two no votes, so three of the five had to reverse their votes, and all of the\u00a0eight Republicans who hadn\u2019t hit the button needed to back the legislation. It would take a while.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-summoned-to-the-white-house\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Summoned to the White House<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"h-summoned-to-the-white-house-rep-byron-donalds-r-fl-was-one-of-a-handful-of-republicans-summoned-to-the-white-house-in-the-final-homestretch-of-the-gop-led-congress-trying-to-pass-the-big-beautiful-bill\">Rep. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/byron-donalds\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"6250\">Byron Donalds<\/a> (R-FL) was one of a handful of Republicans summoned to the White House in the final homestretch of the GOP-led Congress, trying to pass the big beautiful bill.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But unlike his GOP colleagues joining him on the journey to Pennsylvania Avenue on July 2, 2025, Donalds wasn\u2019t invited because he was withholding his support for the massive tax-and-spending bill.\u00a0Donalds, a key ally of Trump, was called to the White House to serve as a liaison between the remaining holdouts, which included members of the House Freedom Caucus, with which Donalds is aligned, and the administration. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt happens that way sometimes,\u201d Donalds told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. \u201cSometimes you\u2019re a holdout. Sometimes you\u2019re trying to help bridge the gap.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Donalds, who is running for governor of Florida, said he had been involved in several meetings with the president and his advisers during the crafting of the legislation.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think the White House just wanted to have somebody who, obviously, who\u2019s been in the room, but that members have a relationship with to make sure we got everybody\u2019s vote,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Also in attendance was Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN), who posted on social media that he was being called to the White House, but quipped it was not clear if it was to go \u201cbehind the woodshed\u201d or to the White House itself.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump has yielded unparalleled power this session of Congress, often being called upon to get legislation across the finish line, and that power was on full display as Republican leadership tried to get the party-line bill to his desk by a self-imposed July 4 deadline.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But as Burchett tells it, Trump didn\u2019t browbeat the holdouts. Burchett, who went into the meeting with concerns over spending, described the meeting as \u201cintense,\u201d but said the president \u201ctook all the questions and he answered the ones he knew.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSome people are afraid to admit they don\u2019t know the answer, and they\u2019ll tell you the wrong dadgum answer,\u201d Burchett recalled. \u201cNot Trump. He would say, \u2018You got a question about this?\u2019 He goes, \u2018Well, let\u2019s find out.\u2019 He\u2019d point, and the person would boom, and they\u2019d hit it, and it was, it just, to me, it was a lot cooler than a lot of situations I\u2019d been in.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Burchett entered the White House as undecided. But he left singing Trump\u2019s praises and towing mementos from the meeting, including a nameplate the president signed after correcting a misspelling of Burchett\u2019s name. (Burchett told the <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>that there was an \u201ce\u201d tacked onto the end of his name.)<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Burchett recalled sitting two seats down from Trump, with Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA) between him and the president, when he noticed the misspelled nameplate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI asked him,\u201d Burchett said. \u201cI say, \u201cY\u2019all misspelled my name.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Burchett said Trump took the nameplate and scribbled out the extra letter. Burchett smiled and said, \u201cYou got to initial it \u2026 like you\u2019re correcting your English papers.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-going-100-miles-per-hour\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Going 100 miles per hour<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rep. Nathaniel\u00a0Moran\u00a0(R-TX) was very stressed. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The self-described Reagan Republican, who has served as a church deacon and taught Sunday school, was driving more than 100 miles per hour in his GMC Sierra pickup.\u00a0Moran\u00a0was scrambling to make\u00a0the\u00a0House\u00a0Ways and Means Committee\u2019s markup of the biggest tax legislation in years. And\u00a0this frantic race against time was going down to the wire.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Elected in 2021,\u00a0Moran\u00a0had\u00a0championed Trump\u2019s no taxes on overtime idea in the\u00a0House. Flight delays had jeopardized\u00a0Moran\u2019s initial itinerary, so he shifted to Plan B by taking a new flight at another Texas airport\u00a0more than two hours away. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019m not lying to you, I drove 110 miles an hour to get to the Dallas airport on time,\u201d\u00a0Moran\u00a0said. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Moran, who got his law degree from Texas Tech, relayed what was happening to his aides.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAt some point, I was trying to communicate with my staff about preparing what I would have to say to an officer when he stopped me, because I\u00a0was sure\u00a0I was going to get stopped on the way to the airport.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Moran\u00a0said he shaved 30 minutes off that trip and got there in about an hour and 45 minutes. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI got to the gate about two minutes before they closed the door.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It was the beginning of a long day as the panel\u00a0began the first marathon overnight session of turning the One Big Beautiful Bill Act into what it is today.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think I had like six double cappuccinos that night just trying to stay awake,\u201d\u00a0Moran\u00a0said.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-trump-on-the-line-nbsp\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Trump on the line <\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump, aboard Air Force One flying back from the Middle East, was on the line wanting to know what had happened.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The\u00a0House\u00a0Budget Committee had just voted down his big beautiful bill, and on the other end was the panel\u2019s chairman, Jodey\u00a0Arrington\u00a0(R-TX), who told the president he called for the roll call, knowing it would fail.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It was May 16, six months after Trump won the popular vote as he captured all seven battleground states against then-Vice President Kamala Harris. Like all newly elected presidents, Trump had political capital to spend. But it wouldn\u2019t last forever.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3458684\/trump-one-big-beautiful-bill-senate-vote\/\">Trump\u2019s momentum on his signature bill<\/a> had screeched to a halt as a handful of Republicans joined all Democrats on the budget panel to torpedo the legislation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The headlines were rough.\u00a0\u201cConservatives block Trump\u2019s big bill in stunning setback\u201d;\u00a0\u201cRepublicans sink their own budget bill full of president\u2019s priorities\u201d; and \u201cGOP fiscal hawks sink key vote on Trump big, beautiful bill.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Arrington\u00a0said Trump wasn\u2019t yelling or even upset. But the Texas legislator admitted his strategy was unusual. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWho calls a vote if they know they don\u2019t have the votes?\u201d\u00a0Arrington, the loquacious son of a tractor salesman, asked rhetorically.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Arrington\u00a0told Trump he wanted to get his committee members on the record \u201cso that we can reconcile the concerns they have now, and not \u2026 have to hold it up and negotiate when it\u2019s on the\u00a0House\u00a0floor, and [Trump] seemed to be very supportive of that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He added,\u00a0\u201cI thought it was a kind of, quite a Trump-esque thing to do, call them out, let them voice their opposition and their concerns that needed to be resolved, so that the entire country, their voters from their district, and every member knew who was opposed to it at this point and what their concerns were.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Arrington\u00a0worked closely with\u00a0House\u00a0Republican leadership on the Big Beautiful Bill. Yet he had previously clashed with former Speaker <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/kevin-mccarthy\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"12\">Kevin McCarthy<\/a> (R-CA), and at the beginning of 2025, anonymous Republican sources were ripping\u00a0Arrington\u00a0in the press, doubting that he could get the job done.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now, his committee had rejected Trump\u2019s No. 1 legislative priority, and all of a sudden, the GOP\u2019s goal of getting the measure passed by July 4 was in jeopardy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">House\u00a0Majority Whip <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/tom-emmer\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"4898\">Tom Emmer<\/a> (R-MN) told the <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>he was a bit startled by\u00a0Arrington\u2019s game plan.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI mean, it was a big risk, but as it turned out, everything worked out just fine,\u201d Emmer said.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Budget Committee met again roughly 48 hours later, at 10 p.m. on a Sunday, and passed the bill out of the\u00a0House\u00a0Budget Committee. The four Republicans who voted no on Friday \u2014 Reps. Josh Brecheen (OK), Andrew Clyde (GA), Ralph Norman (SC), and Chip Roy (TX) \u2014 voted \u201cpresent\u201d on Sunday. It certainly wasn\u2019t a huge sign of unity, but it was a win, albeit a messy one.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAfter we were able to work through that at committee, I thought that was the appropriate route to take, and I think it proved to be successful,\u201d\u00a0Arrington\u00a0said. \u201cThe president totally understood it, totally understood why I made that call, and was supportive of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The work was hardly done, however, as the resolution was headed to the floor. The Budget Committee Republican fiscal hawks and others in the\u00a0House\u00a0GOP Conference were pushing for greater savings, while centrists were wary of the Medicaid cut provisions. No Democrat was going to back the budget blueprint, so leadership could only lose a couple of Republicans. And with a July 4 deadline embraced by Trump to get the legislation to his desk,\u00a0House\u00a0Republican leaders knew that hitting the brakes wasn\u2019t in the cards.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-scalise-tries-to-get-mike-johnson-to-have-a-drink\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Scalise tries to get Mike Johnson to have a drink<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There were a handful of tight votes on the floor on the bill, but House Majority Leader <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/steve-scalise\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"1757\">Steve Scalise<\/a> (R-LA) said the final vote pales in comparison to the April 10 budget vote on the floor.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe budget is the hardest vote,\u201d Scalise told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>, adding it\u2019s harder for members to oppose actual policy than numbers that set parameters of the underlying legislation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Scalise said eight GOP members had indicated on X that they were going to oppose the budget. That was a big problem.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Johnson broached the option of punting instead of trying to create the votes on the floor. Scalise said he wanted to go for it. They rolled the dice.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The press was \u201cfrothing\u201d that day, Scalise said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A reporter asked him, \u201cWhen the bill fails, what is Plan B?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Scalise confidently replied, \u201cFailure is not an option.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And sure enough, after\u00a0House GOP leaders button-holed their members on the floor one by one, the budget passed 216-214. It was an enormous triumph for leadership officials, who have had their share of disappointment in this Congress.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That budget triumph was the moment that Scalise knew the big beautiful bill was going to get to Trump\u2019s desk because they had captured a ton of momentum.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It was far from the end of the road, but many House Republicans were ready to party. They held a bash in the Lincoln Room just off the House floor that was marked by toasts, hugs, and high-fives.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A fired-up Scalise tried to get Johnson, a genteel southerner who doesn\u2019t drink, to down a shot of Fireball. With a laugh, Scalise recounted that he nearly got Johnson to do it.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-taking-one-for-the-team\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Taking one for the team<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rep. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ryan-zinke\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"1498\">Ryan Zinke<\/a> (R-MT) was mad and wasn\u2019t backing down. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Zinke, who served as Trump\u2019s Interior secretary in the president\u2019s first term, had previously told House leadership that he would vote no on budget reconciliation if provisions selling public lands were included in the final bill. And that\u2019s exactly what was added to the sprawling legislation by the Natural Resources Committee in early May of 2025 as House Republican leaders desperately looked for savings in the reconciliation effort to lower the measure\u2019s price tag.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Zinke wouldn\u2019t bend, going so far as to create a new bipartisan caucus focused on conserving public lands to block Reps. Mark Amodei (R-NV) and Celeste Maloy\u2019s (R-UT) provisions that would have sold hundreds of thousands of federal acres in Nevada and Utah.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The rough and tough conservative, who can be spotted marching around the Capitol donning a cowboy hat, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eenews.net\/articles\/republicans-weigh-sales-of-public-land-in-reconciliation\/\">repeatedly called the public land sales<\/a> a \u201cred line\u201d for him, no matter the legislation it was attached to.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe fundamental idea that you\u2019re going to sell public land and somehow that\u2019s going to pay off \u2026 $36 trillion debt is folly,\u201d <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wypr.org\/2025-05-16\/republican-rep-ryan-zinke-opposes-gop-plan-to-sell-federal-public-lands\">Zinke said at the time<\/a>. \u201cWe don\u2019t have a land problem. I would say we have a management problem. \u2026 I understand the anger out there if you live in Montana or a lot of Utah where you\u2019re limited on access. But I give the analogy: If you don\u2019t like the management of a hotel, you don\u2019t sell the hotel, you get new management.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most importantly, Zinke made it clear to leadership that unless the language permitting the federal land sales was stripped, he would be voting no.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What was not known at the time was that Amodei didn\u2019t write the amendment that he and Maloy endorsed. The lawmakers were actually given the language by Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-AR) and the House Speaker\u2019s office. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Amodei told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> that House leadership approached his office ahead of the committee\u2019s markup hearing on its portion of the broader reconciliation bill, and asked if he would put his name on the land sales amendment. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Maloy\u2019s office did not respond to multiple requests for comment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The provisions were written to help communities in Nevada and Utah create jobs and economic growth through housing construction and other initiatives. It would also reduce the cost of the legislation, which was a huge concern for GOP fiscal hawks in the House. Johnson was looking for savings from every committee to help finance the overall legislation and needed to appease the Freedom Caucus.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Amodei had long pushed for the sale of federal lands during his 15-year stint in Congress and was known for backing bipartisan legislation that also included provisions focused specifically on setting aside land for conservation. This version did not include any of that. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Amodei, known for being a team player, didn\u2019t love the pared-back language and told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>, \u201cIt wasn\u2019t the answer to all of our prayers, but it was an opportunity to get the process started.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With Amodei and Maloy on board, Johnson had just one obstacle left to use the land sales to offset the budget: Zinke. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">House leadership was aware of his opposition to any land sales, well before the committee\u2019s markup. Even in the hours before the amendment was introduced, Johnson, Westerman, and Amodei debated whether they should move forward. The Nevada congressman recalled sitting in Westerman\u2019s office that night, discussing the matter with the speaker over the phone. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI hope he\u2019s bluffing,\u201d Johnson said of Zinke, and together they decided to proceed as planned.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Unfortunately for Johnson, Zinke stood his ground, and he wasn\u2019t the only one putting their vote on the line. Other members, including Reps. Troy Downing (R-MT) and Mike Simpson (R-ID) also came out against the proposal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There were attempts to negotiate a deal between Zinke and Amodei, and at one point, Westerman approached his Nevada counterpart to ask about striking certain parts of the bill. A confused Amodei pointed out that it wasn\u2019t his amendment to begin with.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It isn\u2019t clear if Zinke was aware that House leadership orchestrated the land sales to be added to the bill despite his public opposition. His office declined to comment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Facing pressure from the White House to get the House version of budget reconciliation to the floor, Johnson was faced with a choice: Call Zinke\u2019s bluff again and risk losing more votes, or strike the amendment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Amodei said the decision to cut the language was made in just a matter of two or three days. However, it wasn\u2019t formally dropped until just before the bill hit the floor for a vote.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the meantime, Amodei faced the brunt of the blame for the public land sales proposal, being accused of sneaking the amendment into the panel\u2019s bill in the middle of the night. (Amodei notes he couldn\u2019t have sought his amendment until around midnight during the markup due to the dozens of Democratic amendments that were up first.)<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cCongress Sneaks Massive Public Land Sell-Off Into Midnight Budget Amendment,\u201d <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/fieldandstream.com\/stories\/conservation\/public-lands-and-waters\/house-passes-public-land-sell-off\">one headline from outdoors magazine Field and Stream <\/a>read. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAmodei outrages NV congressional colleagues with \u2018dead of night\u2019 federal land sales amendment,\u201d <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/nevadacurrent.com\/2025\/05\/08\/amodei-outrages-nv-congressional-colleagues-with-dead-of-night-federal-lands-sale-amendment\/\">an article with the <em>Nevada Current<\/em> <\/a>was titled. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Amodei had already announced he wasn\u2019t running for reelection, but the criticism still stung. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt was a s*** storm,\u201d Amodei told the <em>Washington Examiner.<\/em> <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What\u2019s unclear is whether the whole lands amendment was a shrewd tactic by Johnson to secure Zinke\u2019s vote. Many rank-and-file members can ask their leaders for one big thing, and if they get it, they can\u2019t realistically request a second. Zinke won his public battle, and Johnson and his team moved on to other possible no Republican votes. Still, Amodei has scars from the legislative showdown.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI got the blame, and that\u2019s how it works,\u201d Amodei said wistfully.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-tension-between-the-speaker-and-the-nbsp-ways-and-means-nbsp-committee\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u2018Tension\u2019 between the Speaker and the\u00a0Ways and Means\u00a0Committee<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rep. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jason-smith\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"3873\">Jason\u00a0Smith<\/a> (R-MO) wanted to hit the gas on moving an early iteration of the Big Beautiful Bill through his panel, the powerful\u00a0Ways and Means\u00a0Committee.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The chairman had spent more than two years working on the legislation\u2019s content. During the last part of the Biden administration,\u00a0Smith\u00a0and his panel had heard testimony in field\u00a0hearings across the country on tax policy and the economy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Following Trump\u2019s victory in the 2024 election,\u00a0Smith\u00a0spent New Year\u2019s Eve at Mar-a-Lago talking to Trump about converting his campaign promises into legislation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Early last year, Smith holed up his Ways and Means Committee Republicans at the Library of Congress to start crafting the bill. Smith, who represents one of the poorest districts in the country, said he \u201clocked them up for 60 hours\u201d that week.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of his first messages to his colleagues was a threat: If you leak anything to the media, \u201cyou will not be a part of this committee.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Smith told the <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>that passing the bill was \u201ctoo important for America\u201d and that he \u201cwas not going to be the Republican Ways and Means Committee Chairman who allowed the single largest tax increase on his watch.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In May of 2025,\u00a0Smith\u00a0was poised to mark up his legislation, but the language on state\u00a0and local taxes was triggering GOP protests from Republicans representing\u00a0blue states.\u00a0Smith\u00a0had proposed lifting the $10,000 SALT limit to a permanent $30,000 threshold for those making $400,000 or less. However, the SALT caucus wanted more.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Johnson urged\u00a0Smith\u00a0to hold off on publicly releasing his legislative text, seeking to buy more time to strike a deal. But\u00a0Smith\u00a0was antsy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis was my life for two-and-a-half years,\u201d\u00a0Smith said, confirming that he was resisting leadership\u2019s push not to release the bill language.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sean Clerget, chief tax counsel for the\u00a0Ways and Means\u00a0Committee at the time, noted the panel must release bills at least 24 hours before marking them up. So almost right out of the gate, Republicans were facing a missed deadline as they aimed to get the legislation to Trump by July 4.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI was not going to allow it to be stalled,\u201d\u00a0Smith\u00a0said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The SALT caucus wasn\u2019t happy and was deep in talks with Johnson.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Clerget said the committee wanted to hit \u201csend,\u201d putting the bill online, at 2 p.m. Reluctantly,\u00a0Smith\u00a0held off. But 30 minutes later,\u00a0Smith\u00a0had had enough.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He told Clerget to release the bill. Clerget hit send.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Soon thereafter, aides\u00a0suggested they had an arrangement worked out.\u00a0Smith\u00a0said that the bill was out.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere was some\u00a0tension\u00a0in the room,\u201d Clerget said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the Ways and Means markup, Johnson arrived through a back door to the\u00a0Ways and Means\u00a0library and negotiated with the SALT lawmakers for hours. A deal was still far off.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-the-final-votes-in-the-house\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">The final votes in the House<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lawmakers in the House would occasionally\u00a0look up at the \u201cscoreboard,\u201d but it wasn\u2019t moving. It was still at 207-217.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Burchett was on the House floor in the early morning hours when he got a call from a number he didn\u2019t recognize as GOP leadership tried to cobble together the votes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While not recognizing the number, Burchett picked up the call anyway to a man who said his name was \u201cCharlie.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Burchett, who has a brother named Charlie, asked: \u201cCharlie who?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201c<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/charlie-kirk\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"4089\">Charlie Kirk<\/a>,\u201d the co-founder of Turning Point USA responded.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This was the last time Burchett spoke to Kirk, who was assassinated in September.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Tennessee Republican said Kirk wanted to know why he hadn\u2019t voted for the party-line bill yet. \u201cHe didn\u2019t, he didn\u2019t understand my strategy,\u201d Burchett said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Burchett said he asked if Kirk had spoken to the president and speaker yet, to which Kirk replied, \u201cNo, I\u2019m just watching it on C-SPAN like everybody else.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI thought, dude, you need to get a life,\u201d Burchett joked. \u201cIt\u2019s 3 o\u2019clock in the dadgum morning.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe last thing he said was, he\u2019s coming to D.C. soon,\u201d Burchett said. \u201cWe\u2019d have dinner. We\u2019d have supper together.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By withholding his vote on the floor, even though he had mostly committed to voting yes, Burchett said he was able to act as a \u201cconduit\u201d for the remaining holdouts to get their demands across to leadership. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Their asks for spending reforms were always extensive, but they had escalated since <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.westernasset.com\/us\/en\/research\/blog\/end-of-an-era-moodys-downgrades-us-to-aa1-2025-05-19.cfm\">Moody\u2019s downgraded<\/a> the country\u2019s long-range credit rating.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Burchett recalled tempers flaring on the House floor, saying there was \u201ccussing and yelling at people and being stupid.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Burchett declined to name names. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey weren\u2019t following what I was doing. \u2026 They might have had too much drink and was running their dadgum mouths,\u201d Burchett said.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-fatigue-factor-nbsp\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Fatigue factor <\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fatigue\u00a0played a significant role in Republican leaders ultimately getting the votes. Members were running on fumes after many sleep-deprived nights in a row. The\u00a0resolve of the on-the-fence lawmakers weakened as Trump and GOP leaders turned up the pressure.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Exhaustion wasn\u2019t just limited to the House. Days earlier, Senate Finance Committee Chairman <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/mike-crapo\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"1086\">Mike Crapo<\/a> (R-ID), one of the authors of the big\u00a0beautiful bill,\u00a0was struggling to keep his eyes open. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Crapo told the <em>Washington\u00a0Examiner<\/em>, \u201cI went in on the floor just before something was going to happen on the [Senate] floor, and I looked up at the clock, and \u2026 it was like 9 o\u2019clock or 10 o\u2019clock, and I thought, \u2018Wow, how did it get that late?\u2019 and then somebody pointed out to me that it was the next morning.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The conservative holdouts in the House included Reps. Chip Roy (R-TX), Victoria Spartz (R-IN), Andy Harris (R-MD), and a handful of others.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Smith, the Ways and Means chairman, said there were some \u201cridiculous\u201d last-minute requests. But eventually, the few nos changed to yeses, and all the holdouts voted yes. The motion passed 219-213, and the final bill cleared 218-214 after House Minority Leader <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/hakeem-jeffries\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"790\">Hakeem Jeffries<\/a> (D-NY) ripped the legislation in a floor speech that lasted more than eight hours. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/the-big-beautiful-bill\/\">HOW THE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL BECAME LAW: READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER\u2019S 10-PART SERIES<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The media, which had reported on a slew of legislator ultimatums throughout the spring and summer, said the rebels \u201ccaved,\u201d and in many ways, they did. The concessions they received were fairly minimal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But lawmakers and aides interviewed for this series said the hardliners made a difference throughout the debate and kept the bill\u2019s price tag\u00a0down. Regardless, many conservatives who ended up voting yes called it a missed opportunity. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/author\/callie-patteson\/\" data-type=\"mediapress_author\" data-id=\"11991\">Callie Patteson<\/a>, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/author\/zachary-halaschak\/\" data-type=\"mediapress_author\" data-id=\"13098\">Zach Halaschak<\/a>, and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/author\/bcusack\/\" data-type=\"mediapress_author\" data-id=\"20031\">Bob Cusack<\/a> contributed to this report.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Members of the <\/em>Washington Examiner\u2019s<em> staff who have worked on this series over the past several months are Haris Alic, Hailey Bullis, Bob Cusack, Christian Datoc, James A. Downs, Gabrielle M. Etzel, Lauren Green, Zach Halaschak, Chris Irvine, Joseph Lawler, Naomi Lim, Maydeen Merino, Callie Patteson, Mabinty Quarshie, Samantha-Jo Roth, David Sivak, and Ramsey Touchberry<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>House GOP struggles to pass the Big Beautiful Bill amid tense votes<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4027,"featured_media":2638073,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-9-e1785436997981.png?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[39259,4762,5894],"class_list":["post-2638072","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-lawmaking","tag-legislation","tag-politics"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-9-e1785436997981.png?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2638072","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4027"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2638072"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2638072\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2638080,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2638072\/revisions\/2638080"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2638073"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2638072"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2638072"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2638072"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}