Republican fiscal hardliners block key vote for Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ – live

Reuters notes that the vote is likely a temporary setback for the measure in a Republican-controlled Congress that so far has not rejected any of Trump’s legislative requests. But it could delay plans for a vote by the full House next week.

Republican fiscal hawks refused to back down even after the president’s intervention earlier, with enough objecting to prevent Trump’s sweeping tax bill from advancing in a crucial House budget committee vote which, Reuters notes, could determine whether the bill is taken up by the full House of Representatives next week.

The committee voted no by 21-16. The GOP could only afford to lose two of their votes to advance the legislation. But five Republican representatives – Chip Roy, Ralph Norman, Andrew Clyde, Josh Brecheen, and Lloyd Smucker – voted against. The Hill notes that Smucker changed his vote from yes to no after it was clear the bill would not advance.

“We are writing checks we cannot cash and our children are going to pay the price. So, I am a ‘no’ on this bill unless serious reforms are made,” Roy, of Texas, told the committee.

Ralph Norman, of South Carolina, said he was “very disappointed” with the state of the measure, adding in the committee: “Sadly, I’m a hard no until we get this ironed out.”

The measure would add an estimated $3.72tn over a decade to the federal government’s existing $36.2tn debt.

All four lawmakers said they hoped to reach a deal with Johnson, for whom this is a major setback to his self-imposed Memorial Day deadline for getting the bill to the Senate.

The Republicans are split between three factions: moderates from Democratic-led states who want to raise a federal deduction for state and local taxes (SALT); hardliners demanding that a bigger SALT deduction be offset by deeper cuts to Medicaid and the full repeal of Biden-era green energy tax credits; and other moderates determined to minimize cuts of Medicaid, upon which many of their constituents depend on for access to healthcare.

The proposed legislation would impose work requirements on Medicaid beginning in 2029. Hardliners want those expedited and have called for a sharp reduction in federal contributions to Medicaid benefits available to working-class people through the Affordable Care Act – an option vehemently opposed by Republican moderates.

The United States will begin discussions with European allies to reduce American troops in Europe later this year, Reuters reports that US ambassador to Nato Matthew Whitaker has said.

“It will be certainly after the [Hague Nato] summit, sometime later in the year, we are going to start those conversations”, Whitaker said, addressing a conference in Estonia today.

“Nothing has been determined but as soon as we do, we are going to have these conversations in the structure of Nato,” he added.

The Wisconsin judge accused of helping a man illegally evade immigration agents is seeking donations to fund her defense after pleading not guilty, reports the Associated Press.

The FBI arrested Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan last month after the agency accused her of obstruction after it said she helped a man evade US immigration authorities as they were seeking to arrest him at her courthouse.

She pleaded not guilty Thursday to one count of obstruction and one count of concealing a person to prevent arrest.

The state Supreme Court has suspended her from the bench while her case plays out. Dugan announced today that she has set up a fund for her defense, but will not take contributions that might compromise her judicial integrity.

President Trump has endorsed Republican senator Shelley Moore Capito for reelection in West Virginia. Trump wrote on Truth Social:

“Senator Shelley Moore Capito is doing a tremendous job representing the Wonderful People of West Virginia, a State I love and WON BIG in 2016, 2020, and 2024!

As the Chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Shelley is working to advance Pro Growth policies, unleash America’s Energy Dominance, and prioritize Clean Air, Clean Water, Clean Soil, and BEAUTIFUL, CLEAN COAL for ALL Americans. Shelley is fighting tirelessly to Grow the Economy, Secure the Border, Stop Migrant Crime, Support our Great Military/Vets, and Defend our always under siege Second Amendment.

Senator Shelley Moore Capito has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election – SHE WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN!”

Capito previously endorsed Trump in 2016 and 2024. She has a “lifetime rating” of 17% from the League of Conservation Voters, indicating a mostly anti-environment voting record despite her position as chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has denounced a plan by House Republicans to impose a 5 percent tax on remittances — the money that immigrants in the US send home, often to family members in need.

During a news conference, Sheinbaum addressed the tax bill, calling it “a measure that is unacceptable”.

“It would result in double taxation, since Mexicans living in the United States already pay taxes,” she said. “This will not just affect Mexico. It will also affect many other countries and many other Latin American countries.”

Mexico’s foreign minister, Juan Ramón de la Fuente, also said the proposal “has no reason to exist” and that Mexico would fight it.

An Indian PhD graduate who was studying at a university in South Dakota, whom the Trump administration has been attempting to deport, was granted an injunction by a federal judge, allowing her to stay in the country after having received her degree.

Priya Saxena’s student visa was terminated by the Trump administration in April, which would have prevented her from completing her doctoral program and graduating on 10 May.

According to court documents, Saxena’s student visa was revoked due to having a “criminal record”, but her only infraction was from a minor 2021 traffic violation – “failure to stop for emergency vehicle” – for which she paid a small fine. According to her attorney, immigration law states the minor infraction is not a deportable offense.

Donald Trump has called on fellow Republicans to pass his “one, big beautiful” tax bill, calling out “grandstanders” as lawmakers seek to advance the legislation amid spending cut demands from hardline conservatives.

He wrote on his Truth Social platform:

Republicans MUST UNITE behind, “THE ONE, BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL!” Not only does it cut Taxes for ALL Americans, but it will kick millions of Illegal Aliens off of Medicaid to PROTECT it for those who are the ones in real need. The Country will suffer greatly without this Legislation, with their Taxes going up 65%. It will be blamed on the Democrats, but that doesn’t help our Voters. We don’t need “GRANDSTANDERS” in the Republican Party. STOP TALKING, AND GET IT DONE! It is time to fix the MESS that Biden and the Democrats gave us. Thank you for your attention to this matter!

The megabill is on thin ice following a surprise holdout from GOP conservative hardliners who are threatening to vote no on a key budget vote this morning unless leaders agree to further cuts to Medicaid and the full repeal of green energy tax cuts implemented by Democrats.

Donald Trump has accused former FBI director James Comey of calling for his assassination after Comey posted a since-deleted Instagram post of seashells spelling out the numbers “8647”.

In an interview with Fox News, Trump said of Comey:

He knew exactly what that meant. A child would know what that meant. If you were the FBI director and you don’t know what that meant – that meant assassination. It says it loud and clear.

Now, he wasn’t very competent, but he was competent enough to know what that meant. And he did for a reason.

Trump added:

He’s calling for the assassination of the president.

Trump said he wasn’t going to take a position on what was going to happen to Comey, saying that was up to attorney general Pam Bondi.

Comey’s post triggered outrage among the president’s Maga base online, who have interpreted the message as an endorsement of violence against Trump, who survived an attempt on his life at a campaign event in Pennsylvania last year. Comey later said he was unaware of the potential interpretation and does not condone violence of any kind.

He wrote in an updated post:

I posted earlier a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assumed were a political message. I didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence. It never occurred to me but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down.

The number 86 can often refer to throwing something out, while 47 refers to Trump’s current term in office as the 47th president. According to online publication Distractify, “8647” was originally meant as a form of silent resistance to Trump and his policies. Others have suggested it could be a call for impeachment.

Homeland security secretary Kristi Noem said yesterday evening evening that Comey’s post was being investigated as a “threat” and accused him of calling for the president’s assassination. Director of national intelligence Tulsi Gubbard accused Comey of “issuing a hit” on Trump and said he should be “put behind bars”.

Ahead of a key vote at the budget committee today, Steve Scalise, the House majority leader, has told Punchbowl News he’s feeling “really good” about the votes and is meeting with budget holdouts. “We’re going to keep talking through today but we’re also going to keep moving this bill forward,” he said.

A surprise revolt from conservative hardliners is threatening to derail the vote on the party-line megabill, endangering speaker Mike Johnson’s ambitious Memorial Day deadline for passage through the House. Politico reports that multiple committee members Chip Roy, Ralph Norman, Andrew Clyde, Josh Brecheen, Glenn Grothman – said they’d vote no or wouldn’t commit to yes. “That forced leaders to scramble to assuage their concerns, possibly by speeding up the start of new Medicaid work requirements, which would drive up savings but also coverage losses,” writes Politico. “The holdouts also wanted speedier ends to clean-energy tax credits. And they’re frustrated that the CBO hasn’t yet cost-scored the energy and commerce committee’s part of the bill.”

“And it’s not just the right flank: Moderate members told GOP leaders they wanted changes to the Medicaid and food aid costs due to be foisted onto states — and the removal of a ban on legal immigrants getting food aid. Then there’s the ongoing debate over the state and local tax deduction, which will likely extend through the weekend, Bloomberg reports.”

Department of Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem is apparently supportive of a pitch for a new reality tv show that would pit immigrants against each other to win fast-tracked US citizenship, The Daily Mail reports. Yes, you read that correctly.

According to the Mail, in a 35-page pitch comes from a producer for Duck Dynasty, and is proposed to be called The American. “Along the way, we will be reminded what it means to be American – through the eyes of the people who want it most,” reads the pitch.

According to the pitch, contestants from various backgrounds and countries would arrive at Ellis Island in New York, greeted by the host – a “famous naturalized American” – and proceed to ride around the country by train to compete in regional specific “cultural” challenges, such as collecting gold from mines in San Francisco and assembling a car in Detroit. The winner would be sworn in as an American citizen on the steps of the US Capitol.

Tricia McLaughlin, the top spokesperson for DHS, acknowledged that agency staff are reviewing this pitch and had a call with the producer last week. She insisted Noem is yet to be briefed on the initiative. However, The Daily Mail says it has confirmed that Noem supports the project and wants to proceed. And McLaughlin said: “I think it’s a good idea.”

At the same time, sources told The Daily Mail of concern among some in the department about the possible optics of turning the plight of immigrants into a reality game show. I’m glad someone has said it. You can read all the bonkers details here.

Trump says US will set tariff rates for some of its trading partners

Richard Partington

Donald Trump has said the US will send letters to some of its trading partners to unilaterally impose new tariff rates, suggesting that Washington lacks the capacity to reach individual trade deals.

Highlighting the challenge for the White House to negotiate deals with hundreds of countries at once, Trump said it was “not possible to meet the number of people that want to see us”.

Speaking at a meeting with business leaders in the United Arab Emirates on the president’s tour of the Gulf, he said:

We have, at the same time, 150 countries that want to make a deal, but you’re not able to see that many countries.

The president said that his treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, and commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, would be “sending letters out essentially telling” some of Washington’s trading partners what tariff rates would be imposed on their goods exports to the US market.

“At a certain point over the next two three weeks, I think Scott and Howard will be sending letters out essentially telling people – it will be very fair – but we’ll be telling people what they’ll be paying to do business in the United States,” he said.

Trump’s comments expose the difficulty of the task the president set for his administration after imposing sweeping border taxes on goods imports from all of the US’s trading partners on his 2 April so-called “liberation day”.

Washington has withdrawn some of its toughest measures after a backlash in the bond markets, including pausing so-called “reciprocal tariff” rates on many trading partners, including the EU, striking a trade deal to lower tariffs with the UK, and agreeing a 90-day pause with China.