Johnson scraps vote on Trump budget blueprint in face of conservative opposition

House Republican leaders on Wednesday scrapped plans to vote on the Senate’s framework to advance key parts of President Trump’s legislative agenda, a major setback that came in the face of opposition from hardline conservatives.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said the chamber would vote on the measure Thursday.

“We are working through some good ideas and solutions to get everybody there; it may not happen tonight but probably by tomorrow morning,” Johnson told reporters. “This is part of the process, this is a very constructive process, I’m very optimistic about the outcome of this one big, beautiful bill, and this is just one of the steps in getting there.”

Still, the delay marks a blow to both Johnson and Trump.

The chamber was initially scheduled to vote on the measure at around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.

But a number of lawmakers in the party’s right flank remained entrenched in opposition to the measure, unwilling to waver from that resistance despite intense lobbying from Trump himself.

The president hosted hardline Republicans for a meeting at the White House Tuesday afternoon; fired off a series of Truth Social posts urging Republicans to get in line with the measure; and offered a no-words-minced order to holdouts during the National Republican Congressional Committee’s (NRCC) fundraiser Tuesday night.