Donald Trump has dismissed the concerns of House Republicans who have warned that they are still “a long ways away” from passing the budget bill, following today’s Capitol Hill meeting with the president.
“I think we are going to get everything we want. I think we’ll have a great victory,” Trump told reporters at the Capitol following the closed-door session with the House GOP. “I think this was a tremendous session.”
When asked about Rep. Harris’ comments, Trump appeared to shrug them off, telling reporters, “Well, why don’t we see what the vote is?”
“I think it was a great talk,” he added.
What To Know
The tax and immigration bill is central to Trump’s agenda but to pass the House, where the GOP hold a narrow majority, they can only afford to lose three Republicans before the vote fails.
Representative Andy Biggs of Arizona, said he also had reservations on the bill following today’s Trump meeting.
On Sunday, the House Budget Committee passed the bill.
The move followed a failed attempt last week, when hardline conservatives rebelled against specific provisions related to Medicaid and tax credits.
The rebels demanded that planned work requirements for able-bodied Medicaid recipients should be implemented earlier than 2029.
After the group hashed out its wants with House Speaker Mike Johnson, all voted “present” on Sunday, allowing the bill to clear the committee.
Stay with Newsweek for the latest updates.
12:08 PM EDT
Newsom slams Trump’s ‘extreme’ budget bill he warns will harm Americans
California Governor Gavin Newsom has slammed Trump’s budget bill proposal which he warns could result in up to 3.4 million Californians losing their health coverage.
Newsom warned that the GOP bill, which proposes sweeping changes to Medicaid including a work requirement of at least 80 hours per month, also put more than an estimated $30 billion in federal funding at risk, and gut California’s health care safety net.
“If Republicans move this extreme MAGA proposal forward, millions will lose coverage, hospitals will close, and safety nets could collapse under the weight,” Newsom said in a statement.
“We must sound the alarm because the stakes couldn’t be higher.”
11:54 AM EDT
Elon Musk to cut back political spending: ‘I’ve done enough’
Elon Musk has said he plans to cut back on political spending.
The richest person in the world and a key financial supporter of President Donald Trump, said Tuesday he had “done enough.”
The announcement, made via videoconference during a Bloomberg forum in Doha, Qatar, could be a setback for Republicans before next year’s midterm elections.
“I’m going to do a lot less in the future,” Musk said. Asked why, he responded that “I think I’ve done enough.”
He added: “If I see a reason to do political spending in the future, I will do it.
“I do not currently see a reason.”
11:35 AM EDT
Thomas Massie says he’s still a ‘no’ vote on bill
Rep. Thomas Massie told reporters that he is still a “no” vote after today’s meeting with President Trump.
The Kentucky congressman said he “didn’t feel attacked” during the meeting and that he took many of Trump’s jabs in stride.
“I mean, he’s a New Yorker. You got to take some of the attacks with a grain of salt,” he said.
11:24 AM EDT
Trump: ‘I think we’re going to get everything we want’
President Trump announced that he had a “great talk” with House Republicans at Capitol Hill on Tuesday and said that party had “unbelievable unity” on his budget bill.
“I think we are going to get everything we want. I think we’ll have a great victory,” Trump told reporters at the Capitol.
“I think this was a tremendous session.”
Trump was also asked about Rep. Harris’ comments suggesting that House Republicans were far off from agreement on the bill.
“Well, why don’t we see what the vote is?” Trump responded. “I think it was a great talk.”
11:19 AM EDT
Rep. Andy Harris: ‘We’re still a long ways away’ from agreement on bill
Representative Andy Harris of Maryland, the chairman of the Freedom Caucus, has announced that “we’re still a long ways away” from passing the Republican budget, following his meeting with President Donald Trump on Capitol Hill.
Representative Andy Biggs of Arizona, also a member of the House Freedom Caucus, said he also still had reservations on the bill.
“There is a lot in our federal government that gives us room to reduce,” Biggs said as he called for further spending cuts.
“And we want to get as balanced as we possibly can.”
10:52 AM EDT
Protesters ejected from Senate Foreign Relations Committee during Rubio testimony
At least two protesters have been ejected from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing during the first 10 minutes of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s testimony on Tuesday.
One of the demonstrators, a woman of retirement age, was picked up by police and slammed into the hearing room’s double doors as he rushed her out, the Washington Post reports.
10:35 AM EDT
Tesla and SpaceX reputations plummet in major poll
Elon Musk’s companies Tesla and SpaceX have seen their reputations fall dramatically over the past year, according to a new poll.
The 2025 Axios Harris Poll 100 survey, which measures public perceptions of the most visible companies in the United States, shows Tesla plummeting 50 spots to No. 83, while SpaceX dropped 36 places to No. 84.
The steep declines place the two companies in the bottom fifth of the annual reputation list, a stark contrast from their previous positions.
10:34 AM EDT
Trump’s surprise announced related to the ‘Golden Dome’: Report
President Trump’s surprise announcement with Pete Hegseth at 3 p.m. ET today is related to his plans for a “Golden Dome,” a U.S. official told Reuters.
The dome project is aimed at protecting the United States from long-range strikes.
The Pentagon has submitted small, medium and large project options to the White House, each expected to cost billions of dollars, CNN reports.
Today’s announcement is likely to be Trump revealing his preferred option for the Dome.
10:15 AM EDT
Last-minute event added to today’s presidential schedule
The White House has added a new event to President Donald Trump’s schedule.
The new event, set for 3 p.m., states that the president will makes an announcement with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in the Oval Office.
No further details were released.
Trump is also set to participate in the Take Our Sons and Daughters to Work Day Event on the White House front lawn at noon ET as part of his regular schedule.
10:05 AM EDT
Trump is talking with House Republicans in closed-door meeting
President Donald Trump is currently talking to House Republicans in their closed-door meeting.
Trump entered the meeting late after speaking with reporters on Capitol Hill.
10:04 AM EDT
Trump dismisses GOP members’ SALT concerns
Trump dismissed House Republicans’ concerns over state and local tax (SALT) breaks, claiming that it is more likely to benefit Democrat governors.
Several Republican congressmen from blue states have called for larger federal deductions to offset state and local taxes.
But on Tuesday, Trump said that the only ones who would benefit from this were people like California’s Gavin Newsom.
“Those are the people that want this, and they’re Democrat states, they’re all Democrat states,” Trump said.
10:00 AM EDT
‘We’re a very unified party,’ says Trump
President Donald Trump insisted that the Republicans are a “very unified party” ahead of the upcoming vote on the budget.
Trump told reporters at Capitol Hill that, “we only have one or two [grandstanders].”
The president, who spoke on his way into the closed door meeting to rally House Republicans, said he was a “cheerleader” for the Republicans and America.
09:53 AM EDT
Trump takes aim at ‘grandstander’ Rep. Thomas Massie
President Donald Trump has taken aim at Rep. Thomas Massive over his criticism for the budget bill.
“I don’t think Thomas Massie understands government,” Trump said, describing the Kentucky congressman as a “grandstander.”
Massie hasn’t publicly said he plans to vote against the bill, but he is assumed to be a “no” after he said the bill would raise the nation’s debt limit.
09:36 AM EDT
Speaker Johnson optimistic ahead of Trump meeting
House Speaker Mike Johnson sounded optimistic about President Trump’s attempt to rally GOP support for his bill this morning.
“I think the president is going to encourage everyone this morning to get in line and get the votes done,” Johnson said as he headed into a closed-door House Republican conference meeting.
“We need to deliver this to the American people.”
09:34 AM EDT
House Republicans say they still have reservations over bill
Several House Republicans have said they still have reservations over the budget bill ahead of President Donald Trump meeting with the lawmakers today.
“I couldn’t vote for it right now,” Rep. Warren Davidson, of Ohio told CNN on Tuesday. He says he wants more spending cuts before he can support the “big, beautiful bill.”
Rep. Michael Lawler, of New York, also said he was not prepared to vote for the bill over the issue of increased state and local tax deductions.
“It’s going to have to happen before there’s a vote,” Lawler said. “If it doesn’t happen today or tomorrow, there won’t be a vote.”
09:16 AM EDT
Trump says there’s still ‘one or two grandstanders’ on bill as he arrives at Capitol Hill
President Trump has arrived at Capitol Hill to meet with House Republicans to try and rally support for his budget bill.
Trump told reporters there were still “one or two grandstanders” who were holding out on the bill.
The president added that those Republican holdouts, along with the Democrats, would be to blame if his 2017 tax cuts don’t get extended.
09:03 AM EDT
RFK urges other countries to quit WHO
Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. has announced that the U.S. has been communicating with other countries to urge them to leave the World Health Organization (WHO).
The Trump administration pulled the U.S. out of the WHO almost immediately after President Trump returned to office.
In comments to Fox News, and streamed at WHO’s assembly, Kennedy said, “I urge the world’s health ministers and the WHO to take our withdrawal from the organization as a wake-up call. We’ve already been in contact with like-minded countries and we encourage others to consider joining us.”
Trump has previously accused the WHO of being too close to China and mishandling the Covid pandemic. The WHO denies this
In his comments, played at the assembly, Kennedy called the organization “mired in bureaucratic bloat, entrenched paradigms, conflicts of interest and international power politics”.
“We don’t have to suffer the limits of a moribund WHO – let’s create new institutions or revisit existing institutions that are lean, efficient, transparent and accountable,” he said.
Diplomats and ministers at the WHO did not immediately react to Kennedy’s comments.
08:53 AM EDT
Zelensky offers Trump free trade agreement
Ukraine’s top trade official said President Volodymyr Zelensky has proposed a free trade agreement with the U.S. in a letter to President Donald Trump.
Kyiv seeks to deepen economic ties with the U.S. to guarantee its future security against further Russian aggression once a peace deal is agreed with Moscow. Ukraine has a deal on sharing mineral revenues with the U.S. so far.
Taras Kachka, Ukraine’s trade representative and deputy economic minister, revealed Zelensky’s trade proposal at a conference in Kyiv on Tuesday, Interfax-Ukraine reported.
“Accordingly, this will be the next phase of our discussions,” Kachka said.
08:32 AM EDT
What are the requirements for Medicaid under the budget bill?
House Republicans have unveiled legislation that would mandate certain Medicaid recipients complete 80 hours per month of “community engagement” to retain their benefits, reviving a long-standing GOP goal actively promoted during President Donald Trump‘s first term.
The work requirements mandate that able-bodied adults without dependents must participate in “community engagement” activities—such as employment, education, job training or volunteering—for at least 80 hours per month to remain eligible for Medicaid. States would be responsible for enforcement and reporting.
2023 Congressional Budget Office report found that implementing Medicaid work requirements for people aged 19-55 would cut federal spending by around $109 billion over a decade. But it would also cause an estimated 600,000 people to lose their health insurance. It would also shift $65 billion in costs to states.
The policy mirrors initiatives from the first Trump administration that were blocked in court. In 2019, federal judges struck down work requirements approved for Arkansas and Kentucky, ruling they failed to align with Medicaid’s core mission of providing health coverage. In Arkansas, more than 18,000 people were dropped from Medicaid in 2018 before the courts intervened.
The bill also calls for more frequent eligibility checks, requiring Medicaid users to undergo income verification twice a year instead of the current annual review.
08:25 AM EDT
Europe ‘shocked’ as Trump hands Putin ‘win’: Experts
President Donald Trump‘s lengthy phone call with Vladimir Putin yielded no major breakthrough and led some European officials to accuse the U.S. president of handing his Russian counterpart a win.
The leaders spoke for two hours on Monday as part of Washington’s latest attempt to bring the three-year conflict with Ukraine to an end.
After the call, Trump hinted that the U.S. would no longer play a direct role in peace talks. He also refused to impose fresh sanctions on Russia to ramp up pressure on Putin to take negotiations seriously.
“Europe remains shocked” by what it sees as abandonment by Washington, “the previous anchor in the Western alliance,” Swedish economist Anders Åslund, who has served as an economic adviser to both the governments of Russia and Ukraine, told Newsweek.