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Maddow Blog-As House Republicans advance Trump's far-right agenda, what happens now?
Opponents of the legislation have reason to be disappointed by the outcome of Thursday morning’s vote, but there will be other opportunities to derail it.
As the dust settles, keep in mind that the GOP was presented with plenty of compelling off-ramps.
— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2025-05-22T13:39:47.084Z
- The CBO said the bill was a disaster.
- The bond market said the bill was a disaster.
- The public said the bill was a disaster.
215 Republicans voted for it anyway. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/whats-next-house-gop-megabill-trump-passes-rcna208461
What’s in the bill?
It’s unrealistic to think the entire package can be summarized in a blog post, but in broad strokes, the public should recognize the GOP’s legislation as a potentially transformative bill, filled with trillions of dollars’ worth of tax cuts, provisions that would increase food vulnerability for struggling families, funding for mass deportations and an ineffective border wall, a wholesale abandonment of efforts to combat the climate crisis, and perhaps most notably, massive cuts to Medicaid — a celebrated health care program that Trump vowed not to cut.
As the Congressional Budget Office made clear, the bill is effectively Robin Hood in reverse: Republicans intend to give to the rich and take from the poor.
That said, those trying to keep up with the legislation came to realize that the details were moving targets: Republican leaders kept making backroom deals, changing the proposal in meaningful ways, even in the final hours before the bill reached the floor.
Did House members have time to read the bill before voting on it?
Almost certainly not. As my MSNBC colleague Hayes Brown noted: “[F]ew, if any, members ... had time to read in its entirety after last-minute changes were made to win over a group of conservative holdouts.”
Was the vote close?
Very. The final vote was 215-214. Republican Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland, the chair of the House Freedom Caucus, voted “present,” and two GOP members — Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Warren Davidson of Ohio — joined a unanimous House Democratic conference in voting against it. Two other House Republicans — Andrew Garbarino of New York and David Schweikert of Arizona — did not vote at all.
Did GOP leaders pass the bill in a normal way?
Not even a little. Despite the sweeping significance of the legislation, Republicans didn’t even ask for CBO analyses; they refused to hold substantive hearings about the effects of their legislation; they held middle-of-the-night committee markups; they made secret deals behind closed doors; and they rushed the bill to the floor before members could read it. Congress was designed to work in a certain way, and this wasn’t it.
Didn’t Republicans insist in the recent past that the final version of all bills be publicly available for three days before members vote on them?
Yep. That was a real priority for the party — until it wasn’t.,,,,,
If the Senate passes a changed bill, then what?
It would go back to the House for another contentious vote. With this in mind, opponents of the legislation — both on and off Capitol Hill — have reason to be disappointed by the outcome of Thursday morning’s vote, but there will be other opportunities. Watch this space.
It’s unrealistic to think the entire package can be summarized in a blog post, but in broad strokes, the public should recognize the GOP’s legislation as a potentially transformative bill, filled with trillions of dollars’ worth of tax cuts, provisions that would increase food vulnerability for struggling families, funding for mass deportations and an ineffective border wall, a wholesale abandonment of efforts to combat the climate crisis, and perhaps most notably, massive cuts to Medicaid — a celebrated health care program that Trump vowed not to cut.
As the Congressional Budget Office made clear, the bill is effectively Robin Hood in reverse: Republicans intend to give to the rich and take from the poor.
That said, those trying to keep up with the legislation came to realize that the details were moving targets: Republican leaders kept making backroom deals, changing the proposal in meaningful ways, even in the final hours before the bill reached the floor.
Did House members have time to read the bill before voting on it?
Almost certainly not. As my MSNBC colleague Hayes Brown noted: “[F]ew, if any, members ... had time to read in its entirety after last-minute changes were made to win over a group of conservative holdouts.”
Was the vote close?
Very. The final vote was 215-214. Republican Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland, the chair of the House Freedom Caucus, voted “present,” and two GOP members — Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Warren Davidson of Ohio — joined a unanimous House Democratic conference in voting against it. Two other House Republicans — Andrew Garbarino of New York and David Schweikert of Arizona — did not vote at all.
Did GOP leaders pass the bill in a normal way?
Not even a little. Despite the sweeping significance of the legislation, Republicans didn’t even ask for CBO analyses; they refused to hold substantive hearings about the effects of their legislation; they held middle-of-the-night committee markups; they made secret deals behind closed doors; and they rushed the bill to the floor before members could read it. Congress was designed to work in a certain way, and this wasn’t it.
Didn’t Republicans insist in the recent past that the final version of all bills be publicly available for three days before members vote on them?
Yep. That was a real priority for the party — until it wasn’t.,,,,,
If the Senate passes a changed bill, then what?
It would go back to the House for another contentious vote. With this in mind, opponents of the legislation — both on and off Capitol Hill — have reason to be disappointed by the outcome of Thursday morning’s vote, but there will be other opportunities. Watch this space.
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