On Tuesday, President Trump urged House Republicans to support a substantial bill aligning with his agenda during an unusual visit to the Capitol, signaling his stance on the bill’s most contentious elements.

Trump advised moderate Republicans from blue states to let go of their opposition to the state and local tax (SALT) deduction and cautioned members against making alterations to Medicaid, as some contemplate program changes.

“It’s not about holdouts; we have an incredibly unified party,” Trump stated before his meeting with the GOP conference. “There are a few who want certain elements that maybe I don’t favor or they won’t receive.”

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act has run into a series of hurdles in the House as different factions within the conference clash over priorities. Deficit hawks have pushed for changes to avoid adding to the debt, while moderates have sought an increase in the SALT cap.

A White House official said Trump made clear in the meeting that he’s losing patience with all holdout factions of the conference, including the SALT Caucus and the House Freedom Caucus, and he insisted every Republican should vote “yes.”

His main requests to the conference were not to let SALT impede the bill, arguing Republicans can fight for SALT later on; not to touch Medicaid except for eliminating waste, fraud and abuse such as booting off those who entered the country illegally and instituting commonsense work requirements; and to stick together and get the bill done, a White House official told The Hill.

The president told lawmakers in the closed-door meeting to “let SALT go,” arguing concerns over the provision can’t get in the way of passing the bill. He signaled he was supportive of raising the SALT deduction from $10,000 to $30,000 for anyone making $400,000 or less — the proposal currently in the bill that members of the SALT Caucus have vocally rejected.

He took specific aim at Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), who has been outspoken about making greater changes to the SALT deduction.

“I know your district better than you do,” Trump told Lawler, according to a source. “If you lose because of SALT, you were going to lose anyway.”

Trump was also adamant about avoiding major changes to Medicaid.

“Don’t f‑‑‑ around with Medicaid,” Trump told lawmakers in the private meeting.

Trump had told reporters before the meeting that the bill is not cutting “anything meaningful,” and instead was focused on “waste, fraud and abuse.” He also raised concerns that migrants were getting Medicaid benefits.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), who has consistently spoken up about his opposition to the House plan to use Medicaid cuts to pay for the party-line megabill, said on the social platform X, “I hope congressional Republicans are listening” after hearing that Trump told Republicans to leave Medicaid alone.

The bill includes major reforms to Medicaid estimated to lead to millions of people losing coverage by 2034. It would require states to impose work requirements on childless adults ages 19-64 to be eligible for the program and seeks to shorten the open enrollment period for the Affordable Care Act, among a host of other changes.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Monday that the requirements for “able-bodied” Americans on Medicaid to work 20 hours per week were “commonsense provisions.”

Trump also told House Republicans “don’t be stupid on the debt ceiling,” pushing them to pass a four-year extension, not two, a source told The Hill.

The current bill includes plans to raise the nation’s debt ceiling by $4 trillion, which would likely last about two and a half years as the Treasury Department warns the government risks defaulting on its more than $36 trillion debt in the coming months.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who has consistently opposed legislation that adds to the deficit, also drew Trump’s ire Tuesday.

“I don’t think Thomas Massie understands government,” Trump told reporters before the meeting. “I think he’s a grandstander, frankly. I think he should be voted out of office.”

Trump’s trip to the Capitol underscores that the GOP is entering crunch time with the reconciliation package, which contains key pieces of Trump’s agenda on taxes, border funding and spending.

The president has spoken frequently with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) throughout the process. He has hosted lawmakers at the White House and spoken to them over the phone, and he has lobbied on Truth Social for Republicans to support the package.

If Trump is able to move any lawmakers on the fence, it would prove valuable for GOP leadership given the extremely narrow margins in the House. Republicans can only afford a few defections while still passing the bill in a party-line vote.

After the meeting, Rep. Mark Amodei (R-Nev.) said he thinks Trump probably changed some minds. 

“He had them all laughing for 30 minutes,” he said — including at the f-bomb he dropped when talking about leaving Medicaid alone.

But House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris (R-Md.) said it hadn’t been enough.

“The president, I don’t think convinced enough people that the bill is adequate the way it is,” he said.