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Moderate House Republicans are telling leadership in both the House and Senate that they will vote against the Senate version of the Big Beautiful Bill if the changes that Senate Republicans made to Medicaid stay in the legislation.
A group of 16 House Republicans — led by more moderate Rep. David Valadao — sent a letter to Thune and Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday suggesting they are prepared to vote against the legislation that comes out of the Senate if it includes a cut to the Medicaid provider tax.
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The House members also say they’re concerned about the “rushed implementation timelines, penalties for expansion states, changes to the community engagement requirements for adults with dependents, and cuts to emergency Medicaid funding.”
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“Protecting Medicaid is essential for the vulnerable constituents we were elected to represent. Therefore, we cannot support a final bill that threatens access to coverage or jeopardizes the stability of our hospitals and providers,” the members wrote.
The list of Representatives who signed this bill reads like who’s who of endangered 2026 House Republicans including Valadao, Rob Bresnahan, Young Kim, Mike Lawler, Juan Ciscomani, Chuck Edwards, Andrew Garbarino, Jen Kiggans, Jeff Van Drew, Dan Newhouse, Rob Wittman, Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Don Bacon, Zach Nunn, Nicole Malliotakis and Jeff Hurd.
The original House bill passed by a single vote, so if even a few of these Republicans decide that they are no votes on the Senate version, this cycle of the bill would be dead.
The Senate would have to start over again. The House version of the bill can’t pass the Senate, which means that if the Senate passes its own version, the two versions of the bill would have to go to conference and be negotiated down to one final bill.
All of this could take months, and that means that Trump won’t be signing the legislation by the 4th of July.
The Big Beautiful Bill is in big beautiful trouble. The Senate is expected to vote on its version of the bill starting on Friday and continuing through the weekend.
The prospects for the bill look dicey at best. The protests and public outcries are working. House Republicans are worried about losing their jobs, and if the American people keep the pressure on, they could defeat the Big Beautiful Bill.
What do you think about the House Republican letter? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
