House Budget Committee blocks Trump-backed bill, delivering major blow to GOP leadership.

The GOP-led House Budget Committee voted to reject a sweeping package for President Donald Trump's agenda on Friday, dealing an embarrassing setback for Republican leaders. The vote was 16-21, with five conservative hard-liners joining all Democrats in voting against the multitrillion-dollar legislation. After the vote tally was read, Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, the committee chair, adjourned the hearing and told members they would not be meeting again this weekend. Negotiations with the GOP holdouts will continue in the coming days and Republicans on the panel will try to regroup as soon as Monday. Republican leaders concede the massive bill isn't ready for prime time, and that critical changes will need to be made in the coming days to tax and Medicaid provisions to win over recalcitrant members. In an office near the hearing, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., huddled privately with some of the Freedom Caucus members who serve on the budget panel - Reps. Chip Roy of Texas, Ralph Norman of South Carolina, Andrew Clyde of Georgia, and Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma. Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., who is not on the panel, also joined them. In the hearing, Roy fired a warning shot at Republican leaders, saying he opposes the bill as written because it will increase the deficit. The bill, which aimed to make significant changes to the tax code, Medicaid, and other areas of the federal budget, had been touted as a major achievement for the Trump administration and Republican leadership. However, its rejection is a significant blow to their efforts to pass significant legislation through Congress. The setback is also a sign of the deep divisions within the Republican Party, with some members refusing to back the bill due to concerns over its fiscal impact and others opposing it due to ideological differences.