Roy votes against ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ in late-night committee fight

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, voted against advancing the Senate version of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” in a marathon House Rules Committee session that stretched past 1 a.m. Wednesday, joining Democrats in a failed 7-6 attempt to block the legislation from reaching the House floor.

Roy, who represents Texas’ 21st Congressional District including Kerr County, emerged as a leading critic of the Senate’s changes to the sweeping reconciliation package, arguing the upper chamber had gutted key conservative priorities while adding hundreds of billions in spending.

“We’re not doing enough to meet the moment on the mandatory spending,” Roy said in a statement. “We’re not doing what Milei is doing in Argentina because Congress is too freaking gutless and cowardly.”

The legislation, which Trump has championed as fulfilling campaign promises on taxes and border security, passed the Senate on Tuesday. But Roy and other Freedom Caucus members have denounced what they call significant compromises that undermine fiscal responsibility.

Senate changes draw conservative ire

In a detailed critique circulated to colleagues, Roy’s office listed seven major objections to the Senate version, claiming it “increases deficits” by $761 billion and “waters down the already only partial repeal of the ‘Green New Scam.'”

The document argues the Senate version only requires wind and solar projects to be “placed in service” by 2027 but includes a “last-minute carveout” allowing projects that “begin construction” within a year to qualify for subsidies indefinitely.

Roy also criticized the Senate for stripping provisions that would penalize states for providing Medicaid to undocumented immigrants and for eliminating requirements that parents of children receiving new tax-incentivized savings accounts have valid Social Security numbers.

“The Senate stripped out the teeth that penalize states that continue to fund Medicaid for illegal aliens,” the critique states.

Rural hospital funding labeled ‘pork’

The Freedom Caucus has particularly targeted the Senate’s $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program, with Roy’s office calling it a “hospital slush fund” designed to “buy key Senate votes.”

However, the criticism comes as rural hospitals nationwide face financial strain. Health policy experts note the funding falls short of projected rural Medicaid losses, and Roy’s own district could see significant impacts under the bill’s provisions.

Peterson Health, which serves Kerr County and surrounding areas, could face an estimated $3.3 million annually in additional uncompensated care costs if nearly 1,000 local residents lose Medicaid coverage under the bill’s work requirements, according to a Kerr County Lead analysis.

Conservative opposition mounts

The opposition reflects growing tension between Trump’s legislative priorities and the fiscal conservative wing of the party, with Freedom Caucus members expressing frustration over what they see as Senate compromises that undermine core principles.

Roy voted alongside Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., as the only Republicans to join Democrats in opposing the bill’s advancement. The close committee vote highlighted divisions within the GOP caucus over the legislation.

“We have the majority in the Senate, we should be acting like it,” Roy said. “The truth is, there are multiple Senators happy to let the parliamentarian act as a foil to preserve the status quo. That’s not leadership, that’s service to the swamp.”

Balancing loyalty and principles

Despite his opposition, Roy has expressed support for Trump’s broader agenda, saying he wants to “deliver for the President” on tax cuts and border security while maintaining fiscal discipline.

“I’m not going to get rolled on the policies that Texans care about, which is ending the Green New Scam and not racking up more deficits,” Roy said.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates the legislation would increase the number of uninsured Americans by nearly 12 million by 2034 while adding $3.3 trillion to federal deficits over 10 years.

The bill now heads to the House floor, where it faces an uncertain future as Republican leadership works to maintain party unity while addressing conservative concerns. If passed without changes, the legislation would go directly to Trump’s desk.