Tensions within the Republican Party boiled over Wednesday night as a Texas congressman lashed out at House leadership for pushing forward with the Senate’s version of President Donald Trump’s sweeping budget legislation — a proposal he called “broken.”
Rep. Keith Self (R-TX), a hardline conservative, was one of four Republicans who initially opposed advancing what Trump has dubbed the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” The legislation seeks to make permanent the tax cuts enacted during Trump’s first term while pairing them with massive new spending.
Self, who has campaigned on fiscal responsibility, took to social media to express outrage, accusing his party of abandoning its own principles and promises. “Matching every $1 of tax cuts with $1 of spending cuts. – Terminating Biden’s Green New Scam. – Prohibiting taxpayer-funded experimental gender transition procedures,” he wrote on X, referring to provisions he says GOP leadership had promised to include.
Those provisions were not in the final version pushed by Senate Republicans, prompting Self to accuse House leaders of betraying conservative commitments. “The Senate broke the House framework, and then they stomped all over it, told NBC News.
Now, House leadership wants to cram this broken bill down our throats by rushing it to the floor while in the middle of discussions, completely disregarding their promises,” Self wrote. He demanded that leadership restore the removed provisions and adhere to the framework that had originally earned his support.
“While honoring one’s commitment may be a rare commodity in Washington, each member of Congress is obligated to return home and explain their actions to the constituents they serve. Ultimately, this is an issue of morality. Abiding by our word is the only thing we have; therefore, as the bill currently stands, I voted against the rule,” he said.
The legislation, backed strongly by Trump, includes permanent tax cuts that critics argue will overwhelmingly benefit corporations and the wealthiest Americans. Analysts estimate the bill could increase the federal deficit by at least $3.3 trillion over the next decade. To offset some of the revenue loss, Republicans are proposing steep cuts to social safety net programs, including Medicaid and food assistance, potentially affecting tens of millions of low-income Americans.
Self’s defection signals growing dissent within GOP ranks over the bill’s direction and the party’s approach to fiscal governance. With a narrow majority in the House, Republican leaders may face increasing pressure from within to revise the legislation or risk further public clashes from their own members.