Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) on Monday called out House Republicans for scheduling an upcoming meeting in the wee hours of the morning to weigh in on President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.”
“If Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ is so great, why not debate it when people are still awake? Wouldn’t you want everyone to know how great it is?” asked McGovern, ranking member of the House rules committee.
“Why are you debating it at 1 o’clock in the morning? I think that’s prime time in Guam.”
Late Sunday, Republicans narrowly voted to advance the bill on Trump’s agenda — which could push millions off of Medicaid and looks to limit those eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which helps around 42 million Americans purchase food each month, to help offset tax cuts.
As House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) hopes to see the bill hit the House floor by week’s end, it’s set to make its next stop at the GOP-led rules committee in a meeting scheduled for 1 a.m. on Wednesday.
The scheduling reflects “unusual timing,” a staffer with the committee’s leadership told The Hill, while House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) slammed GOP lawmakers for trying to “pass their extreme budget in the dead of night.”
Some Republicans have also put the plans for the bill on blast, including GOP hardliner Rep. Tim Burchett (Tenn.), who called the scheduling a “bad look.”
On Monday, McGovern said “any person with half a brain cell” could figure out that Republicans scheduled the meeting late so Americans won’t find out the contents of the bill.
He then referred to Trump’s “close your eyes and get there” call to GOP holdouts on the bill last month.
“That’s exactly what you’re all doing because you all know exactly what the bill does, how unpopular it is and what regular Americans think of it,” said McGovern, adding that the bill would give billionaires a “huge” tax cut by “ripping” away Medicaid and food assistance from Americans.
“Your big, beautiful scam is a historic giveaway to those at the very, very top.”
