Vice President JD Vance and White House policy lead Stephen Miller have made immigration the centerpiece of their final push for support on President Trump’s sweeping tax and spending legislation. But not all Republicans are convinced especially Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, a vocal fiscal conservative who remains skeptical of the Senate’s version of the bill.
“Don’t you dare come to me and say this is about the border,” Roy said, brushing off the administration’s latest messaging strategy. He questioned the idea of justifying a multi-trillion-dollar package based on its $150 billion allocation for border enforcement, highlighting concerns about the overall cost and long-term impact on the federal budget.
Roy’s criticism came as Vance called on Republicans to put aside concerns about deficits and Medicaid policy changes in order to support the bill’s funding for immigration enforcement. In a late-night post, Vance said details like budget scores and Medicaid provisions were less important than the billions allocated to immigration agencies and border infrastructure.
Miller echoed the sentiment in a television interview, touting the bill as the most aggressive border security measure in recent memory. In a follow-up post, Miller responded to concerns about stripped-out Medicaid penalties for states, saying the best solution to prevent unauthorized access to healthcare was removing individuals who were not lawfully present.
The White House reinforced the message through spokesperson Abigail Jackson, who said the legislation advances key economic goals while delivering on the president’s promises to enhance border enforcement. She called it essential for solidifying gains already made under the administration.
Still, for Roy and others, the emphasis on border provisions doesn’t outweigh their broader reservations. He pointed to earlier debates among House Republicans about how to approach Trump’s policy priorities recalling the Freedom Caucus’s preference for a two-step legislative strategy. That plan would have separated immigration enforcement from tax reforms, giving Republicans a chance to pass both with more control and less fiscal risk.
According to Roy, the current situation was avoidable. “We will deliver you a debt ceiling increase. We will deliver you border funding. We will deliver you defense funding… And then let’s go debate tax and spend,” he said, recalling the Freedom Caucus’s January memo. “A different choice was made. And so here we are.”
Trump ultimately rejected the idea of multiple smaller bills, opting instead for a single, all-encompassing package that he dubbed the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” On Tuesday, he defended that decision, saying the larger bill may have been more difficult but was also more effective.
That comprehensive approach has helped Republican leadership pressure undecided members to fall in line, highlighting the wide array of popular items included in the package border security, tax cuts, defense spending, and more.
Rep. Don Bacon, a centrist Republican who’s voiced concerns about the bill’s Medicaid changes and energy policy provisions, acknowledged the appeal of bundling the issues together. He called the permanent tax relief, defense funding, and border enhancements “huge assets.”
Still, questions remain over whether those benefits are enough to sway skeptical lawmakers across the ideological spectrum. Many of the bill’s remaining holdouts are long-time supporters of Trump’s key agenda items, but they remain uneasy about the bill’s broader implications. For now, the final outcome remains uncertain.