So, do you remember how I pointed out that the Republican Party might have a problem passing its own nightmare class war budgetary bill even through reconciliation? At the time I theorized that because the deep cuts to Medicaid, and particularly SNAP would break the budgets of and disproportionally kill poor people in GOP-controlled states, it would be hard to clear the hurdles presented by slim Republican majorities in the House and Senate; even fascist GOP minions like Josh Hawley pointed that out during the opening salvos of public discussion about the bill. Well, it turns out I was right, sort of, but my thought process for getting there was all wrong.

As you may have heard, Trump and the GOP suffered a devastating humiliation as Majority Speaker Mike Johnson failed to get Trump's "big beautiful bill" through even a House budget committee hearing that's part of the process of bringing the bill to an actual floor vote. What you might not have heard, is why the bill, which includes $715B in Medicaid cuts and $290B in SNAP cuts, both of which will literally result in the state murder of thousands and thousands of poor people, including poor people who vote for Republicans, failed to pass this early hurdle. Namely, four members of the GOP's ultra-"conservative" Freedom Caucus refused to support the bill because it doesn't cut *enough* spending.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/16/house-republicans-block-trump-spending-bill

House Republicans block Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ in major setback

"The party has spent weeks negotiating a measure dubbed the “one big, beautiful bill” that would extend tax cuts enacted during Trump’s first term, fund mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, and temporarily make good on his campaign promise to end the taxation of tips and overtime. To offset its costs, Republicans have proposed cuts to the federal safety net, including Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

At a House budget committee hearing today intended to advance the measure one step closer to a floor vote, four Republican members of the far-right Freedom Caucus joined with the Democratic minority to block it from proceeding, arguing the legislation does not make deep enough cuts to federal spending and to programs they dislike.

"This bill falls profoundly short. It does not do what we say it does, with respect to deficits,” said Chip Roy, a Texas representative who opposed the bill alongside fellow Freedom Caucus members Andrew Clyde of Georgia, Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma and Ralph Norman of South Carolina. Pennsylvania’s Lloyd Smucker initially voted to advance the bill, then changed his vote to no at the last minute, which he said was a procedural maneuver to allow the bill to be reconsidered in the future."

So, let's be clear about what folks like Chip Roy here are saying. They're fine with the billionaire tax cuts, they're fine with giving the President the power to destroy non-profits he loathes, they're fine with nightmare class war social cuts that will kill their own constituents; the problem is that Trump's "big beautiful bill" won't kill *enough* poor people to balance the budget; even tho as we discussed the other day, that isn't a relevant goal for a nation that prints its own money. Um, thanks Chip, I guess?

Like most of you reading this, I genuinely don't care why the GOP is unable to pass this nightmare class war budget bill, merely that they do not pass it. Given however the Freedom Caucus's rationale behind voting no, as well as Downmarket Mussolini's renewed pressure campaign to reign in "grandstanders" in his own party, I don't think we're at "relax and order mimosas" yet. The obvious reality here is Republican Party is going to pass a tax bill via reconciliation, because the alternative is shutting down the government by imploding its revenue streams. Furthermore, given the rhetoric and stated policy intentions of the GOP as a whole, I think it's safe to say that any tax bill these fascist chucklefucks try to pass again is going to look a whole lot like this "big beautiful bill" does right now. In short, this fight is not nearly over, and even this specific reconciliation bill isn't dead; in fact it might get worse for the American people before Republicans finally drag it across the finish line. The fact is, the Democratic Party doesn't have the votes to actually stop this, which means as soon as these nazis figure out how to stop ratfucking each other, this murderous bullshit is going to walk; unless public pressure stops them from voting for it in the first place.

The good news here is that any delay, even for monstrous reasons, gives us more time to assemble and enact that pressure; GOP politicians need to know that voting to literally murder their own constituents will be every bit as career ending as annoying Elon Musk, and fast. The clock is ticking, and millions of lives hang in the balance.

#Fascism #RepublicanParty #GOP #Trump #Budget #ClassWar #Medicaid #SNAP #USPol #FreedomCaucus #Muder #Theft