President Donald Trump's Big Beautiful Bill suffered a massive blow in the House procedural vote on Wednesday after four Republicans defied party lines to vote against the spending legislation. While House Speaker Mike Johnson said that he plans to keep the vote open for ‘as long as it takes’, Trump allies still have an uphill task to flip at least one of the four votes.
Johnson said that he has spoken to three holdouts, but the fourth one is missing. He was referring to Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, who left the chamber immediately after voting ‘no’.
“I think they're open for conversation. Everybody wants to deliver this agenda for the people, and we're going to give them every opportunity to do that," Johnson said.
However, now it is being speculated that the Ukraine weapons freeze might be hurting the bill.
Did the Ukraine weapons freeze cause the bill’s failure?
Earlier in the day, reports surfaced that the Pentagon, under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, paused shipments of air defense missiles and munitions to Ukraine due to concerns about depleted US stockpiles.
{{/usCountry}}Earlier in the day, reports surfaced that the Pentagon, under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, paused shipments of air defense missiles and munitions to Ukraine due to concerns about depleted US stockpiles.
{{/usCountry}}Fitzpatrick, a vocal Ukraine supporter and co-chair of the House Ukraine Caucus, demanded an emergency briefing from the White House and Pentagon, citing Russia’s recent aerial assaults and arguing that the freeze undermines Ukraine’s defense.
While there is no direct evidence that the Ukraine weapons freeze caused the bill’s failure, social media users, including analysts, speculated that Brian Fitzpatrick might be opposing the bill due to his frustration with the weapons decision.
Read More: Bill Beautiful Bill House vote: What happens if there's a tie? Can Mike Johnson pass the bill?
“Republican Brian Fitzpatrick is holding up the One Big Beautiful Bill over funding to Ukraine. He represents Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Notably, Bucks County is NOT in Ukraine. What the actual f**k?” political strategist Joey Mannarino said on X, platform formerly known as Twitter.
“Republican” Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick is reportedly attempting to BLOCK the One Big Beautiful Bill because he wants more weapons sent to Ukraine,” X influencer Nick Sortor added.
The procedural vote’s collapse stemmed from GOP divisions over the bill’s deficit increase, Medicaid cuts, and SALT cap. The legislation, which passed the Senate because of VP JD Vance's tie-breaking vote, faced broader GOP resistance, with Reps Thomas Massie and Davidson opposing the $3.3 trillion deficit.
Fitzpatrick, a self-described moderate from Bucks County, voted ‘yes’ on the bill’s initial House passage (215-214-1) on May 22, claiming he aimed to ‘strengthen Medicaid and SNAP solvency’. However, he voted ‘no’ on Wednesday's procedural vote, surprising GOP leadership.
Where does the bill go now?
A procedural vote failure halts the bill, preventing a final House vote. Speaker Johnson’s team is negotiating with holdouts.