An unexpected “no” vote amplified chaos on the already topsy-turvy path to voting on Donald Trump’s “big beautiful bill” on Wednesday. House Republicans now face a tougher challenge to get Trump’s ambitious bill passed in light of a fourth negative addition.
Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick from Pennsylvania was the one who stunned all those present by punching in a surprising “no” vote amid the Senate hearing. Visuals of the scene went viral on social media, as claims of the Republican having gone missing from the site took precedence.
Fourth Republican to vote ‘no’ goes missing
Fellow Republicans, presumably trying their luck to get the US representative to change his vote, struggled to find him. It was ultimately confirmed by US media reports that Fitzpatrick actually swiftly exited the chamber after his unprecedented vote against Trump’s bill.
Chatting up with NBC News, Rep. Dusty Johnson discovered that Fitzpatrick had bolted right out of the room. With nothing more left to say, he hailed the move as “smart.” Eventually, he tried to contact his colleague via a phone call. Alas, his attempts turned out fruitless.
In addition to Brian Fitzpatrick, the other “No” votes as of now are Georgia’s Andrew Clyde, Keith Self from Texas and Indiana’s Victoria Spartz. Members are allowed to change their votes until the final decision is sealed. Republicans can only afford to lose out on three votes for the proceedings to be carried forward to the next stage.
House Speaker says no-voting Republicans ‘open to conversation’
Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters that he plans on keeping the vote open “as long as it takes” so that any query tied to Trump’s ‘big beautiful bill’ can be resolved there and then. He further revealed that he had talked to all three Republicans who had voted “no” on Trump’s agenda. However, he missed out on catching Fitzpatrick before he slipped out of the chamber.
Despite the chaotic devolvement, the House Speaker said “I think they’re open for conversation. Everybody wants to deliver this agenda for the people, and we’re going to give them every opportunity to do that.”
🚨 JUST IN: GOP defector Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick immediately fled the House floor after tanking the Big Beautiful Bill with a last-minute NO vote.
— Hank™ (@HANKonX) July 3, 2025
What’s needed: 9 more Republicans to vote YES and just 1 defector to flip.
The Pennsylvania Republican vanished immediately after… pic.twitter.com/d8u7tixSlo