The Reconciliation Timeline Is Slipping as Trump Struggles to Flip Votes

The president told one group of House Republicans Wednesday that Congress shouldn’t touch three things if they want to win elections: Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security.

President Donald Trump listens during a Cabinet meeting at the White House.
President Donald Trump listens during a Cabinet meeting at the White House. AP

After House Republican leaders insisted they were charging full steam ahead to advance the Senate-passed reconciliation bill, floor action slowed to a halt Wednesday, with Speaker Mike Johnson and President Donald Trump struggling to win over holdouts to even put the bill on the floor.

Leadership scheduled a procedural vote to advance the bill Wednesday afternoon. But after some members couldn’t get to the Capitol over travel delays — and some other Republicans appeared committed to voting down the reconciliation bill — Republicans left the House floor with no clear plan.

After leaving two previous votes open for over two hours, lawmakers headed back to their offices a little after 3 p.m. Majority Leader Steve Scalise told reporters that he was waiting on a few straggling Republican members to return to the Capitol Building “within the next hour” to bring lawmakers back to the floor.