GOP Rebels Sink Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful’ Tax Bill Despite President’s Plea for Unity

In a humiliating loss for President Donald Trump, House Republicans rejected his sweeping tax-cut legislation on Friday, as five GOP members broke ranks with their party alongside Democrats to kill the bill in committee despite Trump's appeals for party unity. Conservatives called for deeper reductions in spending-especially Medicaid-and the elimination of tax credits for renewable energy, bringing to a stop the bill that would have made Trump-era tax reductions permanent and resulted in defense and immigration spending hikes. The 16-21 committee vote exposed the Republican rifts and put Trump's agenda in jeopardy, as Speaker Mike Johnson and party leaders are in a bind to finalize an agreement before a high-stakes House vote next week. The loss was Trump's first major legislative defeat this year and demonstrates the growing influence of Republican hardliners in defining the party's economic agenda. Source: Reuters, NBC News, BBC