More than 30 House Republicans temporarily halted the progress of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act on Monday night (Dec. 4) after they raised opposition to a two-week spending bill that would keep the government running through Dec. 22.

A coalition of the House Freedom Caucus withheld their votes for a motion, allowing House Republicans and Senate Republicans to hammer out the differences between the two major GOP tax bills. The caucus members withheld their votes on the grounds that they wanted a short-term spending plan extended through Dec. 30, rather than Dec.

22, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The short-term spending plan will be voted on in The House, Wednesday, Dec. 6 in order to send it to the Senate for a vote by the end of the week. However, conservative caucus members hoped they could extend the spending bill through the new year in order to ease the pressure on negotiations between the two Congressional chambers.

North Carolina Rep. Mark Meadows, a member of the Freedom Caucus, told The Wall Street Journal that the move was crucial to prevent Democrats from slipping items into the crucial spending gap by extending the deadline to negotiate because lawmakers are more eager to go home for Christmas than the New Year.

However, despite the controversy, Meadows said he “felt very good” about a conversation with Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, who reportedly stepped in to encourage Republicans to commit to the procedural vote.

Donald Trump spending bill

Meadows also took a phone call from President Donald Trump during the proceedings, according to Politico. Meadows did not reveal what he discussed with Trump but did say he had received a firm promise to extend the date of the temporary spending bill.

Another North Carolina Republican representative, Mark Walker, said targeting the tax reform bill was the wrong way to raise support for the issue.

The motion eventually passed 222-192, and the House and Senate will now start up a conference committee in order to work out the differences between the two tax bills.

Ryan announced nine members to be appointed to the conference committee, according to Politico. The representatives running the tax software include Reps. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, Diane Black, R-Tenn., Kevin Brady, R-Texas, Kristi Noem, R-S.D., Devin Nunes, R-Calif., Peter Roskam, R-Ill., John Shimkus, R-Ill., Greg Walden, R-Ore., and Don Young, R-Alaska.

Democrat opposition

Meanwhile, Democrats nominated five representatives, including Kathy Castor, D-Fla., Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., Sander Levin, D-Mich., and Richard Neal, D-Mass.

Senators are expected to name representatives for the conference committee later this week.

Brady and Hatch are expected to take the lead in negotiations for the House, according to The Washington Post. The party must reconcile crucial differences, including what year the corporate tax cut goes into effect, whether to repeal or modify the Historic Tax Credit, where to cap mortgage interest, and what to do with the alternative minimum tax.

Other challenges include whether the plan should allow certain state residents to deduct their state income taxes and what to do with graduate students’ tuition waivers, which are included as income in the House bill but not in the Senate bill.
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