从温和派到强硬派，越来越多的众议院共和党人人对唐纳德·特朗普总统立法议程的关键组成部分表示不满，这可能会在下周晚些时候的预期投票之前削弱该计划的势头。
迈克·约翰逊议长面临着对其议长身份的又一次严峻考验，他必须围绕众议院的最终和解方案召集他的分裂会议。约翰逊只能承受失去三个共和党倒戈，目前有足够多的立法者发出反对信号，以阻止该法案进入参议院。
强硬派要求医疗补助改革
几位强硬派人士对能源和商业委员会(Energy and Commerce Committee)的计划深表担忧，该委员会周三下午完成了马拉松式的26小时加价，以改革医疗补助计划，其中包括2029年前不会生效的新工作要求，并对受益人进行更频繁的资格检查。
众议院自由党团主席安迪·哈里斯称医疗补助计划是“一个笑话”。
“停止医疗补助中的浪费、欺诈和滥用的提议将无助于实现这一目标。对身体健全的成年人的常识性工作要求在四年内(下届政府)不会开始，任何州都可以因为他们确定的“困难”而放弃(他们会的)。真是笑话。沼泽是真实的。顺便说一句……联邦政府不应该向各州支付更多的健康、工作年龄的成年人的医疗补助，而不是向各州支付儿童、孕妇、老年人和残疾人的医疗补助。
经常改变立场的众议员维多利亚·斯帕茨(Victoria Spartz)在X上说，“共和党正在以比最弱势的美国人更高的联邦匹配率使非法移民的医疗补助合法化——这似乎是虚伪的，搞砸了。”
佐治亚州众议员Rich McCormick对一揽子计划提出了质疑。
“我不认为我现在是肯定的，但这不应该让任何人感到惊讶。我们有几件事要解决。今年肯定会有最低限度的储蓄。我这样说的原因是，如果你给我一个10年计划，告诉我为什么明年不会改变，”他说。
共和党人以30比24的投票结果将该法案提交给众议院预算委员会，该委员会将在周五将11项法案合并在一起。
新泽西州民主党资深议员弗兰克·帕隆(Frank Pallone)表示，民主党人在整个加价过程中进行了“激烈的斗争”。民主党人举起照片，讲述他们依赖医疗补助的选民的感人故事，警告说数百万美国人将在共和党计划下没有保险。
周三凌晨3点左右，民主党众议员亚历山大·奥卡西奥-科尔特斯(Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez)与共和党众议员兰迪·韦伯(Randy Weber)进行了一次不耐烦的交流，当时她问了一个关于根据该提案的新工作要求接受医疗保险的流产者的后果的问题。
“我们希望你能向共和党人发表讲话。让我们这样对话，不要对着摄像机，”韦伯说。
奥卡西奥-科尔特斯对着镜头回答说:“屏幕的另一边有1370万美国人。你好，你好，”她说，向镜头挥手。
“我跟你说话是因为我为你工作。他们应该看到这里发生的事情，因为有很多地区，包括共和党的地区，25%的选民享受医疗补助，40%的选民享受医疗补助。
后来，奥卡西奥-科尔特斯回应韦伯的评论说:“我正在和他们(选民)说话，我不会屈服，因为这是一个非常不尊重的评论，我不会屈服于不尊重的人。”
韦伯周三晚些时候向奥卡西奥·科尔特斯道歉。
尖刻的共和党人
在经过17个半小时的加价后，筹款委员会的共和党人周三早些时候推进了特朗普税收法案的部分内容，但州和地方税收减免上限仍然悬而未决，并威胁到整个一揽子计划-正如来自各州的几位共和党议员所喜欢的那样纽约加州反对目前的3万美元的减税计划，该计划将逐步取消对年收入超过40万美元的人的减税。
“我不支持这个，”纽约众议员迈克·劳勒说。“就目前的情况而言，我是否定的，所以他们需要在这里提出一个解决方案，如果他们想按照他们概述的时间表行事，就要尽快提出。”
劳勒谈到拟议的40万美元上限时说，“你在和一大群受到财产税打击的人上床。”
“所以，从我的角度来看，显然我们正在真诚地继续与议长对话，我对我们将达到这一点充满希望，但这是我不会屈服的事情，”他坚持说。"我不会被迫去支持那些让我的选民不安的事情。"
纽约州众议员尼克·拉洛塔也宣布，“没有真正的盐修正，就没有协议。”
“我们离达成协议还很远，但至少我们正在谈判，”他补充道。
密苏里州众议员埃里克·伯利森说，包括劳勒和拉洛塔在内的盐核心小组应该“停止抱怨”
“你需要支持我们需要的削减，找到我们需要的节约。别发牢骚了，”伯利森说。“现实是，我们有37万亿美元的债务和2万亿美元的赤字。这是一道数学题。”
凌晨5点左右，担任众议院共和党会议副主席的犹他州众议员布莱克·摩尔在椅子上睡着了。
在一项修正案的唱名表决中，当一名职员叫到他的名字时，摩尔正在打瞌睡——无精打采地坐在座位上，眼睛安详地闭着。职员重复了他的名字，希望唤醒国会议员，但没有成功。最后，明尼苏达州众议员米歇尔·菲施巴赫(Michelle Fischbach)俯身摇了摇他的胳膊，想叫醒他。
房间里爆发出一阵笑声，摩尔尴尬地睁开了眼睛。他低下了头，然后俯身对着麦克风投了反对票，最后笑得前仰后合。
尽管在会议上有推有拉，一些共和党人清楚地看到了为总统带来立法胜利。
北卡罗莱纳州众议员马克·哈里斯说:“我希望看到医疗补助做更多的事情。”。“但我理解这一点，我觉得我们应该着眼于大局。”
众议院预算委员会定于周五上午召开会议，将11项法案在和解下结合在一起，成为特朗普所谓的“大而美的法案”，然后将其提交给规则委员会，最后在下周进行投票。
约翰逊说，共和党人“仍然有目标”在阵亡将士纪念日的最后期限前通过这项法案。
“我觉得很好。我们非常积极地向前迈进，”约翰逊在结束共和党大会时说。“我们对未来的道路非常乐观。我们还有一些细节需要解决，但我们会解决的。”
'What a joke': Republicans lock horns over Medicaid proposal
A growing number of House Republicans -- from moderates to hardliners -- are expressing grievances with key components of the megabill encompassing President Donald Trump's legislative agenda -- threatening to undercut the package's momentum ahead of an expected vote late next week.
Speaker Mike Johnson faces yet another critical test of his speakership and must corral his divided conference around the final reconciliation package in the House. Johnson can only afford to lose three GOP defections and currently there are enough lawmakers signaling opposition to stop the bill from advancing to the Senate.
Hardliners demand changes to Medicaid overhaul
Several hardliners expressed deep concerns with the plan from the Energy and Commerce Committee, which completed a marathon 26-hour markup Wednesday afternoon, to overhaul Medicaid, which includes new work requirements that won't take effect until 2029 and imposes more frequent eligibility checks for beneficiaries.
House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris called the Medicaid plan "a joke."
"The proposal to stop waste, fraud, and abuse in Medicaid will do little to achieve that. The common-sense work requirement for able-bodied adults doesn't start for four years (into the next administration) and CAN BE WAIVED by any state for "hardship" that they determine (and they will). What a joke. The swamp is real. And by the way…the federal government should NOT pay states more for able-bodied, working-age adults on Medicaid than it pays states for children, pregnant women, seniors, and people with disabilities on Medicaid," Harris said in a post on X.
Rep. Victoria Spartz, who often changes her position, said on X, "the GOP is legalizing Medicaid for illegals at a higher federal match rate than for the most vulnerable Americans -- seems hypocritical and screwed up."
Georgia Rep. Rich McCormick took issue with the package at large.
"I don't think I'm a yes right now, but that shouldn't surprise anybody. We have several things to work out. There's got to be a minimum savings in this year. The reason I say this is because, if you give me a 10-year plan, tell me why that won't change next year," he said.
Republicans voted 30-24 to advance the bill to the House Budget Committee, which will tie together the 11 bills under reconciliation on Friday.
Ranking member Frank Pallone, D-N.J., said Democrats put up a "good fight" throughout the markup. Democrats held up photos and told emotional stories of their constituents who rely on Medicaid, warning that millions of Americans will go uninsured under the GOP plan.
Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez got into a testy exchange with GOP Rep. Randy Weber around 3 a.m. Wednesday when she asked a question about consequences for those who had miscarriages under the proposal's new work requirements to receive Medicare.
"We'd like for you to address the Republicans. Let's have a dialogue this way and not to a camera," Weber said.
Talking to the camera Ocasio-Cortez replied, "There are 13.7 million Americans on the other side of that screen there. Hello, hello," she said, waving to the camera.
"I'm talking to you because I work for you. They deserve to see what is happening here because there are plenty of districts, including Republican ones, where 25 percent of your constituents are on Medicaid, 40 percent of your constituents are on Medicaid," she added.
Later, Ocasio-Cortez responded to Weber's comment and said, "I am talking to them [constituents], and I will not yield because it was a terribly disrespectful comment, and I will not yield to disrespectful men."
Weber apologized to Ocasio Cortez later Wednesday.
SALTy Republicans
Republicans on the Ways and Means Committee advanced part of Trump's tax bill early Wednesday after a 17 1/2-hour markup, but the state and local tax deductions cap is still in limbo and threatens the entire package -- as several GOP lawmakers from states likeNew Yorkand California object to the current proposal of a $30,000 deduction that is subject to a phaseout for those earning more than $400,000.
"This does not have my support," New York Rep. Mike Lawler said. "As this stands right now, I am a no, and so they're going to need to come up with a solution here, and quickly if they want to stay on the schedule that they've outlined."
Lawler said of the proposed $400,000 cap, claiming, "You're screwing a whole host of people who are getting hammered by property taxes."
"So, from my vantage point, obviously we are continuing the dialogue with the speaker in good faith, and I am hopeful that we will get there, but this is something where I'm not going to be rolled," he insisted. "I'm not going to be pushed into supporting something that screws my constituents."
Rep. Nick LaLota of New York also declared "there is no deal without a true SALT fix."
"We are far away from a deal but at least we are talking," he added.
Missouri Rep. Eric Burlison said the SALT Caucus -- including Lawler and LaLota -- should "stop bitching."
"You need to get behind the cuts that we need to find the savings that we need to find. Stop bitching," Burlison said. "The reality is, we're $37 trillion in debt and we have a $2 trillion deficit. This is a math problem."
At one point around 5 a.m., Rep. Blake Moore of Utah, who serves as the House Republican Conference vice chairman, fell asleep in his chair.
As a clerk called his name during a roll call vote on an amendment, Moore was snoozing -- slouched in his seat, eyes peacefully closed. The clerk repeated his name hoping to wake the congressman with no success. Finally, Rep. Michelle Fischbach of Minnesota leaned over and shook his arm to wake him up.
Moore's eyes opened in playful embarrassment as the room burst into laughter. He dropped his head low before leaning toward the microphone to vote no before losing himself in laughter.
Despite the push and pull within the conference, some Republicans are clear eyes about delivering a legislative win for the president.
"I would love to see more things done with Medicaid," North Carolina Rep. Mark Harris said. "But I understand that, and I feel like we just got to look at the big picture."
The House Budget Committee is slated to convene Friday morning to tie the 11 bills together under reconciliation into Trump's so-called "big, beautiful bill" before sending it to the Rules Committee and then finally to the floor for a vote next week.
Johnson said Republicans are "still on target" to pass the megabill by his Memorial Day Deadline.
"I feel very good. We're very positive moving forward," Johnson said leaving the closed GOP conference meeting. "We're very optimistic about the path ahead. We've got a few more details to work out but we're going to work them out."
