President Donald Trump and the House GOP suffered an embarrassing defeat Friday as multiple Republicans joined with Democrats to block what Trump calls the "big, beautiful bill" combining tax cuts, energy deregulation, and border security from even clearing the House Budget Committee — sending everyone back to the drawing board and leaving some Republican strategists in doubt whether the bill as imagined is even possible.
With the Republican caucus bitterly divided over how much to cut, what types of tax breaks to give, and how far they are willing to go on Medicaid and food stamp cuts, pro-Trump voices on social media blew up with rage, but many other commenters on social media laughed at the GOP's dysfunction.
"BIG BEAUTIFUL BUST" wrote the liberal messaging group Meidas Touch. "Chaos for Trump and GOP — The House Budget Committee blocks the GOP tax and spending bill from advancing in a 16–21 vote. Republicans Clyde, Roy, Brecheen, Norman, and Smucker voted NO. An embarrassing setback for Johnson and Trump from their own party."
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"One big beautiful failure," wrote Stephen Nuñez, director of Stratification Economics at The Roosevelt Institute.
"On today’s episode of Republicans Governing Like Clowns, Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill was voted down by GOP hardliners and failed to clear the Committee," wrote the "Angry Staffer" parody account.
"Not surprising. GOP is a mess right now," wrote hedge fund founder Spencer Hakimian.
"Live look at Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill," wrote political strategist Rachel Bitecofer, accompanied by a GIF of a young child running over another child with a toy car.
While many celebrated, others warned that the failure only reflects the fact that a key faction of the GOP just wants to make the bill's cuts to vital public services even more draconian.
"The House Budget Committee just said NO to Trump's budget bill — a reckless 'plan' that would gut Medicaid, slash SNAP, and hurt millions of Americans," wrote Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX). "But let’s be clear, the Republicans that voted 'No' on the bill didn’t do so because they want to stand with the American people. They did it because they want to see even MORE cuts made. So, don’t get confused, they didn’t do this to stand with you. Democrats will continue holding the line and pushing back to protect healthcare, SNAP, and the services that millions of Americans need to survive."
Meanwhile, some others feared that the GOP failing to pass any kind of tax relief bill would cause problems for Americans.
"Nightmare scenario I've been warning about for months: 1. Tariffs hit US economy hard over summer & fall 2. Tax cut renewal fails bc Trump spent his capital on tariff stupidity + the NatCons load the bill down in pork spending, giving automatic tax hikes 3. Recession in 2026," wrote Phil Magness, economic historian for the Independent Institute.
