Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, warned the Senate to keep a lid on spending now that it has the "Big Beautiful Bill" after razor-thin approval in the House on Thursday.
Roy, appearing Thursday on CNBC, said conservative members of the House won't stand for spending over what's allowed in the current bill.
"Don't come back and send us a bill that's going to ratchet up deficits," he said.
In a statement Thursday, Roy, policy chair of the House Freedom Caucus, added: "Even though I supported this bill out of the House, this bill needs massive improvements if we are to make a dent in our deficit or to change the trajectory of this country."
The caucus claimed responsibility for saving more "than the original House GOP proposal in January that would have achieved a measly $300 billion in deficit reduction." The caucus claimed savings in the legislation will be closer to $1.5 trillion, five times the original savings estimate.
House Freedom Caucus members are also warning the Senate to spend less, not more.
"We call on our Republican colleagues in the Senate to continue strengthening the conservative principles in this reconciliation package — we will not look kindly on less but we hope to embrace much more for the American people," they said.
Some estimates figure the Senate may take at least four weeks to wrap up its work on the legislation.
Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.