Washington, D.C. bickers back-and-forth all day long. Donald Trump has no patience for it.
And President Trump just laid down the hammer on Congress for their childish games.
Trump’s Capitol Hill Power Play Exposes Congress’s Ineptitude
President Donald Trump stormed Capitol Hill on Monday, aiming to whip House Republicans into shape over his ambitious “one big, beautiful bill.” His high-profile visit was a clear attempt to cut through the dithering and dysfunction that has plagued Congress, particularly as they bicker over critical elements of his sweeping tax and spending package. With a Thursday deadline looming, Trump’s move was a masterclass in leadership, spotlighting the House’s inability to unify without his direct intervention.
House Speaker Mike Johnson is scrambling to push the president’s budget reconciliation bill to a floor vote by Memorial Day, but the GOP’s internal squabbles are gumming up the works. The package, which encompasses major tax reforms and spending priorities, is roughly 95% complete, yet House Republicans remain deadlocked on contentious issues like Medicaid reforms, green energy subsidies from the Inflation Reduction Act, and the state and local tax deduction (SALT) cap. The indecision is a stark reminder of Congress’s tendency to stall when decisive action is needed.
Trump didn’t mince words during a closed-door meeting with House Republicans. “Don’t f*ck around with Medicaid,” he reportedly declared, emphasizing the need to protect coverage for millions of Americans. His blunt stance is a direct rebuke to fiscal hawks pushing for aggressive changes to the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP), which could strip coverage from vulnerable citizens. Trump’s focus on rooting out “waste, fraud and abuse” in Medicaid without gutting the program aligns with his pragmatic approach to governance, contrasting sharply with Congress’s endless debates.
Conservative hardliners like Reps. Ralph Norman of South Carolina and Chip Roy of Texas are holding firm, advocating for deeper Medicaid reforms and scrapping green energy tax breaks. They also oppose raising the SALT cap, viewing it as a handout to high-tax Democratic states. Their “present” votes during the bill’s House Budget Committee review signal their leverage, as Johnson can only afford to lose three Republican votes to pass the package.
Meanwhile, blue-state Republicans are clamoring for a higher SALT deduction cap, a proposal Trump supports by tripling the current limit. “Well, SALT is a very interesting thing,” Trump told reporters, taking a swipe at Democratic governors like Illinois’s JB Pritzker and California’s Gavin Newsom. “The big JB is going nowhere, probably right now, he could be the worst governor in the country, but Illinois and Gavin ‘Newscum,’ those are the people that want this, and they’re Democrat states.” His comments highlight the political stakes, framing the SALT debate as a battle against blue-state mismanagement.
Despite Trump’s commanding presence, the House GOP remains mired in indecision. The influential House Rules Committee is set to vote on advancing the package at 1 a.m. Wednesday, but key holdouts like Norman and Roy are unmoved. Their resistance exemplifies Congress’s paralysis, as even Trump’s direct appeal couldn’t immediately bridge the gap. The Freedom Caucus, led by Rep. Andy Harris, admitted the party is “still a long ways away” from agreement, with Harris noting they “can get there — maybe not by tomorrow.”
🚨 NOW: Speaker Mike Johnson says Trump is ON HIS WAY to talk to House Republicans today to pass the Big Beautiful Bill.
This is THE MOST important bill for the Trump agenda.
Republicans pass this, their odds of keeping the House IMPROVE next year.
GET IT DONE! pic.twitter.com/q6UGmZ6zo7
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) May 20, 2025
Trump’s frustration with the GOP’s disarray was palpable, yet he projected confidence in the party’s unity. “We have a tremendously unified party,” he told reporters before the meeting, acknowledging that “there are some people who want a couple of things that maybe I don’t like or that they’re not going to get.” His ability to rally nearly 1,000 stakeholders behind the bill, as announced by House Majority Whip Tom Emmer on Tuesday, showcases his unmatched influence—something Congress sorely lacks.
The president’s bill is a major part of his first-year agenda, weaving together tax cuts, spending priorities, and entitlement reforms. Yet, the House’s inability to coalesce around it reveals their penchant for posturing over progress. While Trump pushes for swift action, lawmakers like those in the Freedom Caucus dig in, prioritizing ideological purity over practical governance.
The Medicaid debate, in particular, exposes Congress’s disconnect from everyday Americans. Trump’s insistence on preserving coverage while targeting inefficiencies resonates with voters who rely on the program. In contrast, fiscal hawks’ push for deeper cuts risks alienating constituents, a misstep Trump seems determined to avoid.
The SALT cap issue further illustrates Congress’s fecklessness. Blue-state Republicans’ demands for a higher cap are met with resistance from colleagues who see it as pandering to wealthy, high-tax states. Trump’s proposal to triple the cap is a pragmatic compromise, yet the House GOP’s inability to rally behind it highlights their lack of strategic cohesion.
Green energy subsidies, a remnant of the Inflation Reduction Act, are another sticking point. Conservatives like Roy and Norman want them gutted, viewing them as wasteful. Their stance aligns with Trump’s broader push to dismantle policies tied to the previous administration, but the lack of consensus stalls progress, leaving the bill in limbo.
Trump’s Capitol Hill visit was a clarion call for action, yet the House’s response—or lack thereof—lays bare their inefficacy. As the Rules Committee vote looms, the GOP’s ability to deliver hangs in the balance, with only a handful of holdouts standing in the way of a major legislative win.
The president’s hands-on approach contrasts sharply with Congress’s inertia. His ability to command attention and drive the narrative, even amidst GOP infighting, reaffirms his role as the party’s unifying force. Meanwhile, House Republicans’ dithering risks squandering the momentum of Trump’s agenda.
Trump’s bill could reshape the nation’s fiscal outlook, but only if Congress can muster the discipline to act. For now, their bickering serves as a stark reminder of why voters turned to Trump’s leadership in the first place.
Stay tuned to the DC Daily Journal.
