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GOP former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Sunday bashed the Republican lawmakers who blocked a bid to advance President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” last week.
McCarthy accused the fiscal-hawk pols of prioritizing their own interests and warned that it was a “real misstep” as the rest of the party pushes to get Trump’s sweeping marquee agenda package through Congress.
“The stock market seems like it is moving up. Now, if Congress can start doing the things that President Trump’s doing, it would even help us more,” McCarthy told “Cats Roundtable” on WABC 770 AM.
“[It] was a real misstep on the Republicans’ part, in the budget side, that four of them looked out for themselves instead of moving the bill along, reconciliation.”
On Friday, five Republicans — Chip Roy of Texas, Ralph Norman of South Carolina, Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma, Andrew Clyde of Georgia and Lloyd Smucker of Pennsylvania — voted against advancing the bill out of the House Budget Committee.
GOP former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is knocking some Republicans for failing to advance the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” on Friday. NurPhoto via Getty ImagesSmucker later attributed his vote to procedural reasons to ensure the committee could take up consideration of the bill again.
The other four reps cited various concerns that the package didn’t do enough to rein in government spending, and some of them pushed for adjustments such as implementing the bill’s Medicaid work requirements faster.
Last week, various committees in the House of Representatives rolled out legislative text for key components of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” and the Budget Committee was tasked with stitching it all together.
Once the proposal clears the Budget Committee, then GOP leadership can begin moving it through the Rules Committee and eventually to a floor vote.
The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” features an extension of Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, no taxes on tips,, no taxes on overtime pay, an increased tax deduction for seniors, beefed-up border security and bolstered energy supplies, among other things.
McCarthy, speaking on the radio show, also seemingly took a pot shot at the leadership of his successor, House Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.). Johnson ascended to the top House post when McCarthy was ousted in a GOP revolt in late 2023.
“What really shows is, once President Trump gets back in the country, I mean, poor President Trump is being the president [and] the speaker at the same time, I think we’ll get that bill through,” McCarthy chided.
House Speaker Mike Johnson is dealing with a razor-thin House GOP majority. CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty ImagesGOP leadership has been negotiating with Republican holdouts, trying to advance the signature legislation out of the House Budget Committee.
Republicans are planning to reconvene the Budget Committee late Sunday around 10 p.m. to consider advancing the bill after compromises have been made.
“I think the president will be back in and really looking to these members to get the job done, because if they don’t get the job done, your taxes go up, and that’s not going to happen,” McCarthy said.
“[The comprehensive bill] has a lot of the promises the president made about no tax on tips and others, and it will just help unleash the economy because it would bring security and stability.”
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