President Donald Trump's promise of tax cuts hasn't made much progress on Capitol Hill, where Republican members of the House have yet to coalesce behind the legislation.
The bill as proposed would extend the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
But Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has one of the slimmest majorities in congressional history, which in some ways makes it difficult to gather a critical mass of support for the president's agenda.
Some lawmakers are still concerned about the bill's potential price tag.
"Could something be worked out? I'm sure it could be, but let's put it in writing," said Rep. Ralph Norman, Republican of South Carolina. "The tax cuts have got to happen. The country wants it, [President Trump] wants it, we want it. But equally — I wasn't sent here to increase the deficit and bankrupt the country."
“The rest of America has to do math and balance their budget. I think we ought to do math here in Washington D.C.,” said Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa. “It doesn’t take a calculus wiz to know that doesn’t add up.”
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Other Republicans have taken an even harder line so far, indicating they want the methods to pay for tax cuts to be codified into law, want to protect Medicaid or other entitlement programs, or otherwise expect to see massive spending cuts as part of the process.
"Trump wants to reduce inflation. Trump was to reduce the interest rates. Trump was still lower the deficits. The only way to accomplish those is to reduce spending," said Missouri Republican Rep. Eric Burlison.
Rep. Kieth Self, a Republican from Texas, says he's a no on the current bill regardless of what President Trump says.
"I am a no on this bill as it stands," Self told Scripps News.
On the whole, Republicans in the House do not yet appear to have the support they would need to pass the bill. Members of the House were returning to Capitol Hill Tuesday after Speaker Johnson attended a meeting at the White House with President Trump and some Republican holdouts.
Johnson told reporters he expected to make forward progress on the bill this week.
President Trump addressed the impasse in comments on Tuesday evening.
"Just in case there are a couple of Republicans out there, you just gotta get there. Close your eyes and get there, it’s a phenomenal bill … just stop grandstanding," the president said.
