Daijiworld Media Network - Washington

Washington, May 17: US President Donald Trump’s flagship budget bill suffered a major setback on Friday after five Republican lawmakers broke ranks and joined Democrats in blocking the measure, demanding deeper spending cuts and major policy rollbacks.

Trump, who has aggressively pushed the legislation dubbed by him as the ‘big, beautiful bill’ expressed frustration on his social media platform Truth Social, urging Republicans to stop ‘grandstanding’ and ‘get it done.’

The bill, aimed at extending tax cuts from Trump’s previous administration, also proposes the removal of taxes on tips. However, it has faced criticism for disproportionately benefiting the wealthy while slashing key welfare programmes.

Republican dissenters are pressing for tougher measures, including sharper cuts to Medicaid and a full repeal of green energy tax incentives introduced by Democrats. “This bill falls profoundly short,” said Republican Chip Roy of Texas, calling the proposed deficit reductions inadequate.

House Speaker Mike Johnson now faces pressure from within his party, as rebel lawmakers threaten to withhold support unless their demands are met.

Meanwhile, Democrats have strongly opposed the bill, criticising its impact on Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. “No other law caused so many Americans to lose healthcare not even the Great Depression,” said Democrat Brendan Boyle.

Despite the procedural defeat, the bill could still make progress in Congress, but the failure marks the Trump camp’s first major legislative blow of the year. The proposed tax cuts are estimated to cost $3.72 trillion over the next decade, according to the bipartisan Joint Tax Committee.