Trump tax cuts survive key House hurdle as fiscal hawks threaten rebellion
Fiscal hawks who support this procedural vote may withhold that support later
By Elizabeth Elkind Fox News
Published April 9, 2025 4:14pm EDT
Legislation setting the stage for Republicans to pass a broad swath of President Donald Trump's agenda survived an important hurdle on Wednesday afternoon.
House GOP lawmakers voted to allow for debate on the legislation, known as a "rule vote," a framework that serves as one of the first steps in the budget reconciliation process.
It's still unclear whether House Republicans have enough support to pass the legislation itself, though GOP leaders have indicated they're moving full steam ahead in a matter of hours.
"I think we can get this job done. I understand the holdouts. I mean, their concerns are real. They really want to have true budget cuts and to change the debt trajectory that the country is on," Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters ahead of the first vote..
Trump has directed Republicans to work on "one big, beautiful bill" to advance his agenda on border security, defense, energy and taxes.
Such a measure is largely only possible via the budget reconciliation process. Traditionally used when one party controls all three branches of government, reconciliation lowers the Senate's threshold for passage of certain fiscal measures from 60 votes to 51. As a result, it has been used to pass broad policy changes in one or two massive pieces of legislation.
Rule votes are traditionally not indicators of a bill's final passage, and they generally fall along party lines.
Several Republicans who voted to allow debate on the measure have said they will still oppose its final passage.
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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-tax-cuts-survive-key-house-hurdle-fiscal-hawks-threaten-rebellion
