'Smart' GOP holdout Brian Fitzpatrick flees after voting 'No' on Trump's Big Beautiful Bill; phone unreachable

Pennsylvania GOP House Rep Brian Fitzpatrick left the House immediately after voting no on Trump's ‘Big Beautiful Bill.’

Pennsylvania House Republican Brian Fitzpatrick was the latest lawmaker to vote against the Donald Trump-endorsed tax and spending bill at a test vote on Wednesday. Fitzpatrick's vote against the bill came as a surprise and other GOP lawmakers on the House floor looked confused on why he voted 'no.' 

GOP House Representative Brian Fitzpatrick. (@RepBrianFitz/X)(Twitter)

As the results flashed on the screen at the House, Fitzpatrick's GOP colleagues tried to locate him on the Senate floor, possibly to get him to change his vote, but the former FBI agent was nowhere to be found.

Melanie Zanona, the Capitol Hill correspondent for NBC News, reported that Fitzpatrick stormed out of the House immediately after casting his vote against the bill. GOP Rep. Dusty Johnson of South Dakota reacted to Fitzpatrick's departure, sarcastically calling it a "smart" move. The report added that Johnson then tried to phone Fitzpatrick but has not been able to reach him.

The test vote on Wednesday came after the House GOP decided to push ahead with the bill despite there being a sharp division within the GOP camp regarding Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill.' While deciding on whether to push ahead with the bill at the House, the House GOP ended up in a deadlock and Vice President JD Vance had to cast the tie-breaking vote.

We’ve been talking with members from across the conference and making sure that everyone’s concerns are addressed, and their questions are answered, and it’s, it’s been a good day,” Speaker Johnson said.

“We’re in a good place right now. This is the legislative process, this is exactly how I think the framers intended for it to work. We feel very good about where we are and we’re moving forward.”