WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans are pushing to vote on their multi-trillion-dollar tax breaks package as soon as Wednesday, grinding out last-minute deal-making to shore up wavering GOP support and deliver on President Donald Trump’s top legislative priority. 

Trump himself had instructed the Republican majority to quit arguing and get it done, his own political influence on the line. But GOP leaders worked late into the night to convince skeptical Republicans who have problems on several fronts. 

The president’s meeting with key House Republican holdouts on the GOP’s massive tax bill was ’productive,” his spokesperson said.

Members of the House Freedom Caucus, the far-right bloc of House Republicans who have objected to the tax bill, as well as members of GOP leadership, met with Trump at the White House on Wednesday afternoon.

“The meeting was productive and moved the ball in the right direction,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. “The President reiterated how critical it is for the country to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill as quickly as possible.”

A fresh analysis from the Congressional Budget Office said the tax provisions would increase the federal deficit by $3.8 trillion over the decade. Supporters of the bill disagree with that assessment. “This bill does not add to the deficit,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt maintained Monday during a press briefing. 

In fact, some Congressional observers say the CBO estimates are based on the prediction of zero economic growth during the next ten years. They believe a 3% real growth rate is a far more likely scenario. At that rate, the bill would not add to the deficit. 

Republicans hunkered down at the Capitol through the night for one last committee hearing processing changes to the package. Democrats immediately motioned to adjourn, but the vote failed on party lines. 

“President Trump’s ‘one, big, beautiful bill’ is going to require one, big, beautiful vote,” said Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. “We are going to get this done.” 

It’s a make-or-break moment for the president and his party in Congress, who have invested much of their political capital during the crucial first few months of Trump’s return to the White House on this package. If the House Republicans fall in line with the president, overcoming unified Democratic objections, the package would next go to the Senate. 

At its core, the sprawling 1,000-plus-page bill is centered on extending the tax breaks approved during Trump’s first term in 2017, while adding new ones he campaigned on during the 2024 presidential campaign. 

It is worth noting that if the tax cuts are not approved it would produce a huge tax increase for Americans. 

To make up for some of the lost revenue, the Republicans are focused on spending cuts and a massive rollback of green energy tax breaks from the Biden-era Inflation Reduction Act. 

Additionally, the package tacks on $350 billion in new spending — with about $150 billion going to the Pentagon, including for the president’s new “ Golden Dome” defense shield, and the rest for Trump’s mass deportation and border security agenda. 

The package title carries Trump’s own words, the “ One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” 

As Trump promised voters on the tax front, the package proposes there would be no taxes on tips for certain workers, including those in some service industries; automobile loan interest; or some overtime pay. 

There would also be an increase to the standard income tax deduction, to $32,000 for joint filers, and a boost to the child tax credit to $2,500. There would be an enhanced deduction, of $4,000, for seniors of certain income levels, to help defray taxes on Social Security income. 

To cut spending, the package would impose new work requirements for many people who receive health care through Medicaid, with able-bodied adults without dependents needing to fulfill 80 hours a month on a job or in other community activities. 

Similarly, those who receive food stamps through the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, known as SNAP, would also face new work requirements. 

Trump has been pushing hard for Republicans to unite behind the bill, and he said after meeting with House lawmakers privately Tuesday at the Capitol that anyone who doesn’t support the bill would be a “fool.” 

But it’s not at all clear that Trump, who was brought in to seal the deal, changed minds. 

One of the conservative Republicans, Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, said afterward he’s still a no vote. 

“We’re still a long ways away,” said Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., chair of the House Freedom Caucus. 

Brought to you by www.srnnews.com