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Authored by Jackson Richman, Arjun Singh, and Joseph Lord via The Epoch Times,

As Republicans barrel full steam ahead with President Donald Trump’s “big beautiful bill,” several divisions over components of the package linger.

Earlier this month, both chambers approved a budget blueprint that resulted from weeks of negotiations between the House and Senate, unlocking the reconciliation process being used to pass the package. In the coming weeks, the difficult work of passing Trump’s legislative agenda begins in earnest.

Dubbed the “one, big, beautiful bill” by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), it is expected to consist of measures related to tax cuts, America’s energy sector, and securing the border.

As a reconciliation bill, it would be immune from the 60-vote filibuster threshold in the Senate—but only if House Republicans can agree on a package first.

Given Republicans’ narrow majority in the lower chamber—Johnson can spare no more than three defections—passing this package will be a herculean task for leadership. Johnson will need to keep both moderates and conservatives happy.

Here’s what to know about the lingering disputes as Republicans move forward with drafting the text of their bill.

Border Security, Energy, and Defense

The core components of the Republican budget proposal unveiled by Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)—bolstering border security, funding energy expansion, and new defense appropriations—are generally non-controversial with broad swaths of Republicans.

In line with his chief policy priority during the 2024 presidential election, Trump and Republicans have sought to implement sweeping changes to how immigration and border security are handled.

That includes both ongoing efforts to stem the flow of illegal immigrants across the U.S. southern border with Mexico and what Trump has promised will be the “largest deportation operation in American history.”

Funding will target increased deportation-related detentions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Immigration Court hearings, and removal operations. Beyond removals, the Trump administration is pursuing the finalized construction of a border wall between the United States and Mexico, Trump’s main campaign promise in 2016.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has told The Epoch Times that he seeks to have his state “reimbursed” for its ongoing border security efforts under “Operation Lone Star” run by Gov. Greg Abbott (R-Texas).

“[I want some] reimbursing [of] the State of Texas for the billions they’ve spent dealing with Joe Biden and the Democrats’ failure to secure the border,” Cruz told The Epoch Times on March 31.

Additionally, the package will include new funding for energy and defense.

Trump and his allies have been outspoken about their support of enhancing U.S. drilling, fracking, and natural gas extraction. During the 2024 election, Trump summarized his position as “Drill, baby, drill.”

He’s argued that new and renewable energy sources should be used alongside traditional fossil fuel-based infrastructure.

While policy changes in a reconciliation bill are restricted under the rules of the process, Republicans are sure to pursue an increase in energy production.

The current budget blueprint additionally instructs the House and Senate to allocate an additional $100 billion and $150 billion, respectively, toward defense over a decade.

These aspects of the bill are among the least controversial with Republicans. Some other components will be a tougher sell.

Tax Cuts

The centerpiece of the Senate’s budget blueprint, which has since been approved by the House, is its plan to make permanent the personal income tax cuts first authorized by the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

The GOP proposal comes out to a top-line cost of around $4.5 trillion in lost potential tax revenue for the government.

Without congressional action, those cuts will expire at the end of 2025 and rates will increase—a potential political nightmare for Republicans at the ballot box in 2026 if the issue isn’t addressed before Tax Day.

In order to implement these new rates permanently, Republicans must comply with the Byrd Rule, a rule governing the reconciliation process, which requires that any policy that impacts the deficit beyond ten years must be sunset.

This could face challenges in both the House and Senate, however. Without steep spending cuts alongside these tax cuts, critics fear that the deficit could balloon.

In the lower chamber, many lawmakers—such as budget hawks like Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-Texas), and members of the House Freedom Caucus—have expressed these concerns.

While the House budget instructions currently call for $1.5 trillion in spending cuts—already a difficult ask—conservatives have indicated they won’t support any package that comes in at less than $2 trillion in cuts.

But such steep cuts could equally alienate the moderate wing of the GOP: members like Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) and fellow purple district Republicans in California and New York have sought assurance that these spending cuts won’t harm key entitlements.

Threading the needle between these competing impulses will be challenging for leadership.

Medicaid

The budget resolution instructs the House Energy and Commerce Committee to cut $880 billion in spending over a decade, an amount that critics suspect will result in reductions to Medicaid.

The issue is Democrats’ main rallying point against the proposal, with several arguing that Republicans are planning to “gut Medicaid.”

Johnson has said there will be no substantive cuts, but will only target waste, fraud, and abuse in the program. Trump has also expressed clear opposition to making any substantive cuts to the entitlement program.

“There are a lot of Americans who rely upon those—those programs, and we’ve got to ensure that they’re safeguarded,” said Johnson on Fox News on April 13.

But Johnson argued that there’s abuse in the program that can be rooted out.

“When you have people on the program that are draining the resources, it takes it away from the people that are actually needing it the most and are intended to receive it. You’re talking about young single mothers down on their fortunes at the moment, the people with the real disabilities, the elderly.”

At least 12 Republicans have come out against Medicaid cuts.

“Balancing the federal budget must not come at the expense of those who depend on these benefits for their health and economic security,” they wrote in an April 14 letter to Johnson, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), and House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.).

Debt Ceiling Increase

The budget resolution also calls for the House to increase the nation’s borrowing limit by $4 trillion and the Senate by $5 trillion.

The Senate figure has come under fire by conservatives in the House such as members of the Freedom Caucus. Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) initially told The Epoch Times that the budget resolution was “DEAD ON ARRIVAL” in the House, though he eventually voted for it.

The debt ceiling is set to be reached within the next few months, though the exact timing is uncertain. Were the limit to not be lifted, the United States could go into default for the fifth time in its history.

The debt limit has usually been increased on a bipartisan basis as it last was in 2023. However, by raising it without Democrat support, the GOP is looking to do so by pairing it with significant fiscal measures.

Ultimately, the issue could still divide the two chambers, as the Senate seeks a greater debt limit bump than many House conservatives can stomach in the final package.