Trump drops f-bomb, pressures Republicans to get in line behind his legislation

President Trump pressed House Republicans on Tuesday to fall in line behind a massive bill containing key pieces of his agenda in a rare trip to the Capitol.

He also provided lawmakers clarity about where he stands on some of the package’s biggest sticking points, leading to a flurry of last-minute negotiations on the bill that leaders hope to pass by the end of the week.

Trump pushed moderate Republicans from blue states to give up their fight over the state and local tax (SALT) deduction, while warning members not to “f‑‑‑ with Medicaid” as some lawmakers eye changes to the program.

“That was love in that room. There was no shouting,” Trump told reporters after the meeting. “I think it was a meeting of love. And there were a couple of things we talked about specifically where some people felt a little bit one way or the other. Not a big deal.”

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act has run into a series of hurdles in the House as different factions within the conference clash over priorities. Deficit hawks have pushed for changes to avoid adding to the debt, while moderates have sought an increase in the SALT cap.

A White House official said Trump made clear in the meeting that he’s losing patience with all holdout factions of the conference, including the SALT Caucus and the House Freedom Caucus, and he insisted every Republican should vote “yes.”

His main requests to the conference were not to let SALT impede the bill, arguing Republicans can fight for SALT later on; not to touch Medicaid except for eliminating waste, fraud and abuse, namely by booting off those who entered the country illegally and instituting commonsense work requirements; and to stick together and get the bill done, a White House official told The Hill.

The president told lawmakers in the closed-door meeting to “let SALT go,” arguing concerns over the provision can’t get in the way of passing the bill. He signaled he was supportive of raising the SALT deduction from $10,000 to $30,000 for anyone making $400,000 or less — the proposal currently in the bill that members of the SALT Caucus have vocally rejected.

He took specific aim at Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), who has been outspoken about making greater changes to the SALT deduction.

“I know your district better than you do,” Trump told Lawler, according to a source. “If you lose because of SALT, you were going to lose anyway.”

Lawler held the line in the immediate aftermath of Trump’s speech, saying he was “not budging.”

But later in the day, after SALT Caucus meetings in the Speaker’s office, Lawler said GOP leaders have floated “an improved offer” to members of the SALT Caucus, and the lawmakers were waiting for cost estimates to arrive from the Joint Committee on Taxation.

“We’re waiting on some more information, but we made progress,” he said.

Trump was also adamant about avoiding major changes to Medicaid.

“Don’t f‑‑‑ around with Medicaid,” Trump told lawmakers in the private meeting.

Trump told reporters before the meeting that the bill is not cutting “anything meaningful” and instead was focused on “waste, fraud and abuse.” He also raised concerns that migrants were getting Medicaid benefits.

Hard-line conservatives had mixed reactions to the push from the president.

Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.), the chair of the conservative House Freedom Caucus who had been pushing for more changes to Medicaid, appeared unmoved by the president’s message as of Tuesday evening.

“The president I don’t think convinced enough people that the bill is adequate the way it is,” Harris said after the meeting.

But later in the day, Rep. Josh Brecheen (R-Okla.) — another Freedom Caucus member who had been one of four hard-line conservatives to block a key House Budget Committee vote on the bill last week — said he was “very optimistic” about negotiations.

“We’re getting close,” Brecheen said, adding that Trump’s push against the SALT Caucus — whose preferred proposal would have added significantly to the deficit costs of the bill — had helped.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), who has consistently spoken up about his opposition to the House’s plan to use Medicaid cuts to pay for the party-line megabill, said on the social platform X, “I hope congressional Republicans are listening” after hearing that Trump told Republicans to leave Medicaid alone.

The bill includes major reforms to Medicaid estimated to lead to millions of people losing coverage by 2034. It would require states to impose work requirements on childless adults ages 19-64 to be eligible for the program and seeks to shorten the open enrollment period for the Affordable Care Act, among a host of other changes.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Monday that the requirements for “able-bodied” Americans on Medicaid to work 20 hours per week were “commonsense provisions.”

Trump also told House Republicans “don’t be stupid on the debt ceiling,” pushing them to pass a four-year extension, not a two-year extension, a source told The Hill.

The current bill includes plans to raise the nation’s debt ceiling by $4 trillion, which would likely last about two and a half years as the Treasury Department warns the government risks defaulting on its more than $36 trillion debt in the coming months.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who has consistently opposed legislation that adds to the deficit, also drew Trump’s ire Tuesday.

“I don’t think Thomas Massie understands government,” Trump told reporters before the meeting. “I think he’s a grandstander, frankly. I think he should be voted out of office.”

Trump’s trip to the Capitol underscores that the GOP is entering crunch time with the reconciliation package, which contains key pieces of Trump’s agenda on taxes, border funding and spending.

The president has spoken frequently with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) throughout the process. He has hosted lawmakers at the White House and has spoken to them over the phone, and he has lobbied on Truth Social for Republicans to support the package.

If Trump is able to move any lawmakers on the fence, it would prove valuable for GOP leadership, given the extremely narrow margins in the House. Republicans can only afford a few defections while still passing the bill in a party-line vote.

After the meeting, Rep. Mark Amodei (R-Nev.) said he thinks Trump probably changed some minds. 

“He had them all laughing for 30 minutes,” he said — including at the f-bomb he dropped when talking about leaving Medicaid alone.

Updated at 5:05 p.m.