GOP Divided on Trump's Tax Bill Amid Internal Conflict

President Donald Trump's "big beautiful bill," a key legislative package aimed at extending tax cuts and cutting federal spending, is facing significant hurdles within the House Republican Conference due to deep divisions over tax and Medicaid policies. A primary point of contention is the State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction cap, with Republicans from high-tax, swing districts such as New York, California, and New Jersey pushing to raise the cap substantially to protect their constituents, while others from low-tax states resist, arguing it unfairly subsidizes states with high taxes. This internal conflict has stalled negotiations, with some GOP lawmakers preferring to let the reconciliation process collapse in hopes of a more favorable tax deal later. Medicaid cuts proposed in the bill have also sparked fierce intraparty opposition, particularly from centrists worried about the impact on vulnerable populations, while hard-right factions demand deeper spending reductions. Leadership, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, is under pressure to deliver the bill by a self-imposed Memorial Day deadline, but the divided caucus and demands for strict deficit reduction measures threaten to derail progress. The discord highlights the challenge of balancing ideological purity with political pragmatism in advancing Trump's legislative agenda.