House delays vote on tax-cut, debt limit plan amid deficit spat

Erik Wasson and Billy House, Bloomberg News on Apr 9, 2025

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WASHINGTON — A Republican drive to quickly pass President Donald Trump’s tax cut proposals and increase the U.S. debt ceiling has been temporarily delayed by party infighting over federal deficits.

House leaders decided on Wednesday night to postpone a key vote to fast-track the package, after they determined they lacked the votes to clear a Senate-passed budget because of deep divisions in the party over whether to cut Medicaid health coverage, food assistance and other parts of the social safety net.

Both Trump and Senate Majority Leader John Thune failed in a last-minute effort to get enough Republicans to agree to the Senate-passed measure, a bad sign for the resolution.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said the budget will come up for a vote “probably tomorrow.” The House is scheduled to leave Washington for a two-week recess at the end of this week.

Ultra-conservatives said the Senate budget did not require enough cuts to Medicaid health coverage and other programs to pay for the tax cuts. They said that they worried that even if the House developed a tax bill with spending cuts, the Senate would simply discard them.

“What we have is a promise to cut spending. Excuse me if I don’t trust Washington,” said budget opponent Chip Roy, a Texas conservative.

Republicans still overwhelmingly support Trump’s plan to extend his expiring 2017 tax overhaul and make further reductions that he promised in the 2024 campaign.

Lawmakers have until the end of the year to act before those first-term tax cuts expire, though Republican leaders are anxious to quickly lock in a new round of reductions and the conflict over safety-net cutbacks presents an obstacle.

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