Texas Rep. Chip Roy, one of the most vocal critics of the Senate’s version of President Donald Trump’s agenda, said that he and many other conservatives remain opposed to the bill and are still seeking major changes.
“It’s not ‘take it or leave it.’ I don’t need take-it-or-leave-it legislating. How about we send it back to him? We say, ‘Take it or leave it,’ all right? So the Senate doesn’t get to be the final say on everything,” the Texas Republican said.
Roy said he and other GOP hardliners were having ongoing conversations with the White House about those changes they want: “I think we need more spending restraint, and I think we need to fix what they did in the Senate.”
House GOP leaders, however, remain upbeat that Trump can deliver conservative votes, including Roy, as the president and House Speaker Mike Johnson aim to pass the megabill with only Republican votes by July 4. They point out that Trump and his team ultimately did convince Roy and other vocal “no” votes to back the House version of the bill, despite complaints about its price tag.
GOP leaders are expected to take the first big step toward muscling the bill through the House in a few hours, when they tee up a key procedural vote that Roy and others have threatened to block.
But Roy was cautious when asked if GOP hardliners were willing to actually take a stand against Trump’s bill on the floor.
Asked if there were enough House members willing to block Trump’s agenda from coming up in the House, Roy nodded his head yes but added, “right now.”
