The legislation passed 17–16, with four conservative critics voting ‘present.’
The House Budget Committee on May 18 approved a motion to advance Republicans’ reconciliation package, marking one more step toward final passage of the mammoth bill.
The unusual Sunday night vote, with a hearing planned for 10 p.m. ET that started 20 minutes late, ended in the passage of the legislation in a 17–16 vote, with four conservative critics of the package voting present.
The vote came after weekend negotiations following a conservative revolt against the package on May 16.
When the mammoth package first came before the House Budget Committee on Friday, four conservatives—Reps. Chip Roy (R-Texas), Josh Brecheen (R-Okla.), Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), and Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.)—voted against advancing the package.
Ranking Member Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.) was critical of the process under which the bill had been brought to the floor, asking about details of the agreement that had been reached that caused the uncommon late-night weekend vote to move ahead.
Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) didn’t provide specifics on what had changed, indicating that negotiations were ongoing and that the final product would continue to be refined.
The bill’s passage by the Budget Committee marks a major win for President Donald Trump and