Nighthawks, 1942, oil on canvas, 84.1 x 152.4 cm (33 1/8 x 60 in.), Art Institute of Chicago. (VCG Wilson/Corbis via Getty Images)
In Nighthawks, everyone appears as though they’re just trying to make it through the night to dawn.
It’s kind of what House Republicans are going through this week.
The House Budget Committee convened at 10:26 p.m. ET Sunday night to advance the tax cut and spending reduction package after a hiccup stalled the measure Friday afternoon. At 10:39 p.m. ET, the committee approved the bill 17-16 – with four House Republicans voting "present."
Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) listens during a mark up meeting with the House Budget Committee on Capitol Hill on May 16, 2025 in Washington, DC. Members of the Budget Committee met to consider House Republicans’ reconciliation bill, which includes U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed tax and spending cuts. The bill faced bipartisan opposition, with five Republican members of the House Budget Committee voting against it and supporting a motion for the committee to recess for the weekend. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Four of the five GOP noes were truly opposed. Rep. Lloyd Smucker, R-Penn., voted nay so he could order a re-vote. Rules allow a member on the winning side of an issue (in this case, the nays), to ask for another vote later. Smucker supported the plan. But he then switched his vote to nay to be on the winning side. That teed up a possible re-vote.
REPUBLICANS READY LATE-NIGHT SESSION ON TRUMP'S 'BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL' AFTER GOP MUTINY
"Calling a vote moves the process forward. I think it's a catalyst," said Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Tex., after the failed vote Friday.
The Budget Committee then announced it would convene at 10 p.m. ET Sunday.
This is where things get interesting:
The key here was for the Budget Committee to finish its work before midnight Friday. Once it got rolling, the process would only consume 15 or 20 minutes. The Budget Committee approved the plan 17-16 with four Republicans voting "present."
"We're excited about what we did," said Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., who was one of the GOPers who voted nay Friday.
The US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, on Sunday, May 18, 2025. (Alex Wroblewski/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
But by the same token, meeting at 1 a.m. ET could diminish attendance. After all, who wants to show up at 1 a.m. ET for a meeting and maybe discuss your amendment at 6:30 a.m. ET? You get the idea.
And once the bill gets out of the Rules Committee, expect late night meetings among Republicans as they try to close the deal. It’s possible the House could vote at virtually any time of day Wednesday, Thursday or Friday to pass the bill. That could be late in the evening. Or even overnight. They will vote when the bill is ready, regardless of the time on the clock.
Such is the lot drawn this week by House Republicans for the "big, beautiful bill." Maybe they’ll have the votes. Maybe they won’t. Maybe they’ll pass more spending cuts. Maybe there’ll be a deal on SALT for state and local taxes. Maybe not. Maybe the vote comes at 3 in the afternoon. But more likely, sometime late at night.
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Just like in Nighthawks, everyone on Capitol Hill is just trying to make it through the night and to the dawn.
Chad Pergram currently serves as a senior congressional correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC). He joined the network in September 2007 and is based out of Washington, D.C.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/house-republicans-work-through-night-trumps-big-beautiful-bill