Republican hard-liners defy Trump, Johnson as mega-bill fails to advance
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(WASHINGTON) — A vote on the mega-bill aimed at advancing President Donald Trump’s agenda failed in the House Budget Committee Friday afternoon amid objections from hard-liners, halting the bill’s progress at the committee.
Republican Reps. Andrew Clyde, Josh Brecheen, Lloyd Smucker, Ralph Norman and Chip Roy all voted against clearing the bill out of committee — defying Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson. The group complained, in part, that the bulk of savings in the legislation don’t take effect until after Trump leaves office.
The committee vote failed with just 16 lawmakers in favor, and 21 voting against.
The move is a setback for Johnson and Trump, who earlier called on the holdouts to fall in line and unite behind the bill — with Trump saying in a social media post that “we don’t need ‘GRANDSTANDERS’ in the Republican Party.”
Norman said he wants commitments from leadership on changes to Medicaid work requirements, which won’t take effect until 2029 and imposes more frequent eligibility checks for beneficiaries.
“I am tired of smoke and mirrors,” Norman said Friday. “This isn’t a grandstand. I don’t need to grandstand.”
The ordeal has been yet another test of Johnson’s speakership as he works to placate the hard-liners and unify the factions of his conference.
House Republican leaders will now continue to negotiate with holdouts behind closed doors, and the Budget Committee will reconvene on Monday. While the delay is not ideal, there is still a chance that the bill could clear the House before the Memorial Day recess.
The House Freedom Caucus said it is prepared to continue negotiations over the weekend after several of them blocked the more than 1,000-page mega-bill from advancing.
“We are not going anywhere and we will continue to work through the weekend,” the group posted on X.
Prior to the failed vote, Majority Leader Steve Scalise explained that the bill’s timeline enables the administration to “actually create a process to implement” some of the provisions in the bill.
“We’ve got a pretty clear idea of what the final pieces are, and we’re working through those right now,” Scalise said. “We’re all in agreement on the reforms we want to make. We want to have work requirements. We want to phase out a lot of these green subsidies. You know, how quickly can you get it done? And it’s not as quickly as saying you just turn it off tomorrow.”
Rep. Marlin Stutzman, another Republican on the Budget Committee, sympathized with Norman’s “fair” concerns about delays to implementing Medicaid reforms, but he called the consensus product of 11 markups “a good start” and stressed that the Senate will have an opportunity to improve the bill.
“There’s a lot of good pieces in this legislation. You know, there’s pieces that I feel like we left ourselves short. We could have made bigger reforms, cut more spending, but at the end of the day, this is going to get the economy growing for the American people,” he said. “I think we are going to get there.”
“I think this is an important piece to move forward as it is, because we need to get the economy back on track,” Stutzman added.
(WASHINGTON) — Amid mixed messaging from top White House officials, President Donald Trump was asked directly on Monday whether his sweeping tariffs are negotiable or here to stay.
“They can both be true,” Trump responded. “There can be permanent tariffs and there can also be negotiations because there are things that we need beyond tariffs.”
For days, from Trump on down, administration officials have offered conflicting statements on whether countries can do anything to save themselves from the tariffs, which include a universal 10% tariff implemented over the weekend and what they claimed were more targeted “reciprocal” tariffs to take effect on Wednesday.
On Monday alone, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent shared he was tasked with negotiating with Japan while White House trade advisor Peter Navarro penned an editorial that the new policies are “not a negotiation.”
Bessent posted on social media that following a “very constructive phone discussion” with Japanese officials, Trump instructed him and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to “open negotiations to implement the President’s vision for the new Golden Age of Global Trade.”
Navarro wrote in the Financial Times that Trump wouldn’t be backing down from his “reciprocal” tariffs on nations the administration’s deemed the worst offenders in trade relations.
“This is about fairness, and no one can argue with that. This is not a negotiation,” Navarro wrote. “For the US, it is a national emergency triggered by trade deficits caused by a rigged system. President Trump is always willing to listen. But to those world leaders who, after decades of cheating, are suddenly offering to lower tariffs — know this: that’s just the beginning.”
When Trump announced the sweeping tariffs in the White House Rose Garden, he justified them as a response to a “national emergency” caused by trade deficits and unfair practices with global partners.
Since then, markets at home and abroad slumped. Foreign leaders recoiled, with some — like China — taking retaliatory action against the United States. Economists increased their odds of a recession this year.
Officials were pressed to justify the action on Sunday morning news shows, where again the confused messaging was apparent. Trump spent the weekend golfing as fallout from his tariff policy continued.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, on the CBS News program “Face the Nation,” said tariffs were going to “stay in place for days and weeks” and that “this is the policy.”
Meanwhile, National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett, on ABC News’ “This Week,” boasted that 50 countries had reached out to the White House to negotiate tariffs.
Trump on Monday said they’re open to “fair deals” with foreign leaders that put “America first” — but that tariffs would stay in place in the meantime.
“We’re going to get fair deals and good deals with every country. And if we don’t, we’re going to have nothing to do with them. They’re not going to be allowed to participate in the United States,” he said.
ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Mary Bruce asked Trump on Monday if he’d be open to a pause in tariffs to allow for negotiation.
“Well, we’re not looking at that,” Trump responded. “We have many, many, countries that are coming to negotiate deals with us, and they’re going to be fair deals. And in certain cases, they’re going to be paying substantial tariffs.”
A rumor of a possible 90-day tariff pause that circulated on Monday caused stocks to briefly spike into green territory before going back into the red when the White House denied the report.
Trump said in the Oval Office that he doesn’t “mind going through it,” seemingly a nod to the criticism and volatility of the market because he believes it’s worth it at the end of the day.
“So, it’s got to be very interesting,” he said. “It’s the only chance our country will have to reset the table because no other president would be willing to do what I’m doing or to even go through it. Now, I don’t mind going through it because I see a beautiful picture at the end.”
ABC News’ Michelle Stoddart contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — The Smithsonian tried to affirm its autonomy from outside influences in a statement on Monday after President Donald Trump announced that he fired National Portrait Gallery head Kim Sajet for being a “highly partisan person.”
The institution, which is the world’s largest museum, education and research complex, sent the statement after a Monday Board of Regents meeting with Vice President JD Vance and Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts, according to a document the Smithsonian sent ABC News on Monday.
Board of Regent meetings are held at least four times a year. Vance and Roberts are both ex officio members, meaning they act in advisory roles.
“All personnel decisions are made by and subject to the direction of the Secretary, with oversight by the Board,” the Smithsonian said in its statement. “Lonnie G. Bunch, the Secretary, has the support of the Board of Regents in his authority and management of the Smithsonian.”
The panel is also comprised of senators appointed by the president, including Sen. John Boozman (R-AR), Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI); Representatives selected by the Speaker of the House, including Rep. Doris Matsui (D-CA), Rep. Adrian Smith (R-NE) and Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL); and nine Citizen Regents, according to a document the Smithsonian sent ABC News on Monday.
The Smithsonian’s statement comes after Trump’s May 30 announcement on social media that he fired Sajet, the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery director. He described Sajet as “a highly partisan person, and a strong supporter of DEI, which is totally inappropriate for her position.”
Sajet rejected artist Julian Raven’s 2016 Trump painting for submission in the National Portrait Gallery, according to a statement from a Smithsonian spokesperson on Tuesday. She is still reporting to work at the Portrait Gallery, the spokesperson noted.
“While the vast majority of our content is rooted in meticulous research and thoughtful analysis of history and facts, we recognize that, on occasion, some of our work has not aligned with our institutional values of scholarship, even-handedness and nonpartisanship. For that, we must all work to do better,” Bunch, the board secretary, said in a message to Smithsonian staff on Monday after the board meeting.
“Our institution must be a place where people feel inspired and challenged, but most importantly feel welcome. … As always, we thank the President and Congress for their steady commitment to the Smithsonian and to preserving it for our visitors and our country.”
The museum also appeared to address the Trump administration’s concerns about biased content and staff at the institution in its statement on Monday.
“To reinforce our nonpartisan stature, the Board of Regents has directed the Secretary to articulate specific expectations to museum directors and staff regarding content in Smithsonian museums, give directors reasonable time to make any needed changes to ensure unbiased content, and to report back to the Board on progress and any needed personnel changes based on success or lack thereof in making the needed changes,” the Smithsonian said in its statement Monday.
The museum did not respond to ABC News’ questions regarding deadlines for museum directors to make changes and report back to the board, and the vice president’s office did not immediately reply to a request for a statement.
Trump signed an executive order last month placing Vance in charge of supervising efforts to “remove improper ideology” from all areas of the Smithsonian and targeted funding for programs that advance “divisive narratives” and “improper ideology,” according to the Associated Press.
The president also fired members of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts’ board of trustees and installed himself as chairman of the institution in February.
ABC News’ Kyra Phillips, April Williams, Molly Nagle and Lalee Ibssa contributed to this story.
(WASHINGTON) — As President Donald Trump nears the 100th day of his second presidency, polling shows Americans largely disapproving of his handling of the economy, tariffs, and recent stock market turmoil.
But his 2024 voters largely say they’re still confident in his handling of the economy, and they overwhelmingly stand by their vote for Trump.
“I believe Trump will turn things around; I’m glad he’s president,” said Jessianna Bartier, 53, of Ohio. “With Biden, I felt there was so much waste. He was causing a lot of damage economically,” she said, and she had felt depressed by the former president’s efforts. “Trump has definitely got his work cut out for him.”
According to a new ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll, only 39% of Americans approve of how Trump has handled the economy; fewer approve of his handling of tariffs on imported goods or recent stock market turmoil. Seventy-one percent of Americans said that Trump’s handling of tariffs will contribute to inflation in the United States, although 59% think tariffs will create more manufacturing jobs.
But among Americans who voted for Trump in 2024, 87% approve of how he is handling the economy, while 78% approve of his handling of tariffs. A softer 71% said they approve of his handling of recent turmoil in the stock market.
Furthermore, among 2024 Trump voters, 74% think his economic policies will put the U.S. economy on a stronger foundation for the long term; at the same time, 45% of those voters think it’s very or somewhat likely that his economic policies will cause a recession in the short term.
An overwhelming 96% of those who voted for Trump believe how they voted was the right thing to do.
Bartier, a former flight attendant, now works as a bartender and lives in Ohio. She said she used to be a Democrat but became Republican as she “started dating more mature men.” She said she has always voted because “my voice matters.”
Bartier said her family is struggling financially at the moment, because her fiance lost his job and her own income is “definitely not enough.”
But she’s optimistic that Trump will be able to strengthen the economy.
She has mixed feelings about Trump on some issues, saying she appreciates his border crackdown but is at odds with his views on LGBTQ issues and abortion.
But on tariffs, she said she feels they may cause challenges at first but will be effective later on — although the recent stock market turmoil does give her pause.
“I think the tariffs are, in the short term, going to hurt us economically; but in the long term, [they’re] going to bring back jobs to America,” she said. She acknowledged feeling uncertain about how the tariff news impacted stocks: “Do I like seeing the Dow go down on itself? No.”
“[Trump’s] gonna do what he’s gonna do. He’s kind of a rogue agent,” Bartier added.
Anthony Romano, 64, a retired purchasing agent who lives by himself in Philadelphia, said he feels positive about Trump but has some concerns about the stock market.
“Overall I think he’s doing a really good job,” Romano said, but he added that it “seems like the stock market has been crashing — it’ll put a lot of stress on people.”
Stocks have fluctuated in the wake of what some experts described as continued uncertainty over the White House’s tariff policies and announcements. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday that the White House is “setting the fundamentals for a strong dollar, a strong economy, a strong stock market”.
Romano said he’s still confident in the president, citing Trump’s experience as a businessman.
“I have my trust in him; he knows what he’s doing,” he said.
Another of Trump’s voters who took the poll, Deborah Williams, 71, of Nevada, considers herself an independent politically and said she just retired from running a home-based business. Her husband, 78, has a part-time job and earns minimum wage.
She said she’s keeping an eye on the economy, especially given their dwindled income, and is “cautious about where I’m spending my money these days,” including with travel.
On tariffs, she has mixed feelings. She’s concerned they could impact prices and may be being done too bluntly, but called Trump’s philosophy behind them “a noble idea.”
“I want America to be the tough kid on the block again,” Williams said, and she does not want think Americans should be paying for or subsidizing other countries’ expenses. “Trump’s my man for doing that at this point,” she said, adding later, “He has the opportunity to put our economy back together by playing hardnose with some of these people we import from.”
The poll only asks respondents for their first names; some respondents contacted by ABC News declined to share their last name.
Irene, 63, who works for the library and local government in a northern New Jersey town, told ABC News that she has mixed feelings over how the Trump administration has rolled out tariffs.
“I’m kind of favorable for the tariffs, because I think we have been taken advantage of by different countries,” she said. “It’s just that, maybe he’s going a little overboard or too fast with all of this. And the tariffs are going to affect a lot more than they were originally going to.”
She hasn’t felt any impact on her or her family’s finances yet. Asked what she hopes to see from the White House going forward, she said she was hoping for the economy she felt America had during the first Trump administration.
“I look back to when he was in the office the first four years, and I just felt like the economy was in better shape,” she said, mentioning interest rates and gas prices. “I was kind of hoping we could get somewhere towards that point.”
She also told the poll she feels a recession is somewhat likely, and she hopes it does not impact the jobs she holds or her finances.
“But I’m at the point where I’m trying to get in a better financial position, just in case that recession should happen, it won’t hit me as hard,” she said.
That has not caused her to rethink how she voted for Trump in November: “I’m still behind my vote because I definitely didn’t have a good feeling about the Democrats,” she said.
The ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll was conducted online via the probability-based Ipsos KnowledgePanel® April 18-22, 2025, in English and Spanish, among a random national sample of 2,464 adults. Partisan divisions are 30%-30%-29%, Democrats-Republicans-independents.
Results have a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points, including the design effect. Error margins are larger for subgroups. Sampling error is not the only source of differences in polls.
