Some GOP lawmakers are holding a "secret" until Donald Trump's megabill passes, and one insider flagged a potentially nefarious motive.
The drama has been palpable between Wednesday night, when Trump warned MAGA was unhappy with their GOP representatives, and early Thursday morning, when the so-called "big, beautiful" bill is set to pass at 8:00 AM Eastern Time.
Punchbowl News reporter Laura Weiss reported that GOP congressmen Keith Self and Josh Brecheen, who were "holdouts who flipped their rule votes" for the bill, "say they'll have more info coming on what got them to yes."
"They indicate they’ll announce more after final bill vote," she added before quoting Self, who said, "We made some progress on some fiscal issues."
Democratic House aide Aaron Fritschner, an insider to the process, made an observation:
"The only reason for them to keep this secret until the bill passes is if they think making it known would jeopardize votes by 'moderate' Republicans on passage," he said Thursday. "If this were on the level those people might want to find out what just happened, but they are not on the level."
He further added, "A thing to note as Republicans make claims about what their bill will do: they passed it in both chambers without waiting for a score. The July 4 'deadline' was fake and self-imposed, they didn’t have to do that. Passing this without a score was a choice."
The only reason for them to keep this secret until the bill passes is if they think making it known would jeopardize votes by "moderate" Republicans on passage. If this were on the level those people might want to find out what just happened, but they are not on the level https://t.co/d747mcTnE3
— Aaron Fritschner (@Fritschner) July 3, 2025
