Rules Committee finally sends 'Big, Beautiful' bill to floor after marathon session

More than 22 hours—that’s how long it took congressional Republicans on the Rules Committee to send Donald Trump’s Big, Beautiful Bill to a floor vote. The delay wasn’t due to faulty math, but rather deep divisions within the GOP, as factions negotiated behind the scenes throughout the day to reach a deal that could minimally satisfy both the hardline Freedom Caucus and conservative lawmakers from Democratic-leaning states, often referred to as "blue Republicans."

However, the most prominent voices among the rebels warned that this is only a minimal agreement and does not guarantee their support for advancing the rule. Representative Chip Roy made that clear during a press conference:

"We're going to work with the president today. We're going to work with our colleagues to deliver, but there's a long way to go. I want to be very clear. We've got to deliver on what we're talking about, but we're not going to be able to get the bill done, and that's what we're trying to achieve."

"I'm not sure this can get done this week"

Those words were echoed by current House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, who cast doubt on whether the bill could advance this week as the White House and Speaker Mike Johnson hoped. "We are greatly encouraged by the progress that's been made in the last 24 hours, but I'm not sure this can be done this week. I'm pretty confident it can be done in 10 days."

Trump personally takes command of negotiations

The clearest sign of how Republican leaders view the situation is that Majority Whip Tom Emmer has yet to schedule a floor vote on the House agenda.

Trump himself is set to lead the face-to-face negotiations with the hardliners, joined by Tom Emmer, Speaker Mike Johnson, and Majority Leader Steve Scalise. The White House aims to present a bill ready for passage as early as Thursday. The ultimate goal is to have the bill signed by the president by July 4, following Senate approval.