The “Big and Beautiful Bill” faced another setback in the House of Representatives as a crucial procedural vote before the final vote was delayed for hours and struggled to move forward. President Trump spoke with a small group of dissenting lawmakers in the early hours of Thursday trying to resolve differences and push the legislative process forward.
According to reports from The Hill, the phone call took place around 1 a.m. when the dissenting lawmakers gathered in a small room outside the House chamber. Republican leaders were working hard to rally party support for the bill.
The vote had been delayed for over 4 hours, and despite unfavorable voting conditions, House Speaker Mike Johnson did not immediately gavel the vote to an end and chose to keep it open. This gave him and the Republican leadership time to further persuade the dissenters.
As of 2 a.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, the vote stood at 207 in favor to 217 against, with 5 Republicans voting against and 8 others undecided.
Due to unanimous opposition from the Democrats, the outcome posed a risk for the procedural rules of the bill. Failing to pass this procedural rule would hinder the final vote on the bill.
Trump’s phone calls included Representatives Thomas Massie (Kentucky Republican), Victoria Spartz (Indiana Republican), and Tim Burchett (Tennessee Republican). They were seen entering the room shortly before the call began. Speaker Johnson and Majority Whip Steve Scalise left the room after the call ended.
Massie and Spartz ultimately voted against the procedural rule, while Burchett remained undecided.
During the call, Massie indicated that if Trump ceased his attacks on him, he would be willing to drop his opposition and support the procedural rule.
In recent months, Trump and his allies have targeted Massie after he voted against the House version of the “Big and Beautiful Bill” in May and criticized Trump’s strike on three Iranian nuclear facilities as “unconstitutional.”
A pro-Trump super PAC has launched ads criticizing Massie, and individuals within Trump’s camp have indicated they may support a challenger against him in the primaries.
Speaker Johnson revealed in a late-night interview with Fox News on Wednesday that Trump was willing to speak with Republican dissenters.
He stated that Trump had called him about an hour prior, asking “who else needs to talk, I’m ready to take the call anytime.” Johnson replied, “Mr. President, you have done your part, we will complete our work here.”
In addition to calling lawmakers, Trump also made consecutive posts on Truth Social, urging the stubborn faction within the GOP to change their stance and support his core domestic policy agenda, including tax cuts, stricter immigration rules, and increasing energy production.