TMTPOST -- House Republicans kept a crucial procedural vote open for hours overnight as they scrambled to advance president Donald Trump’s sweeping tax and spending package, but party leaders remained confident the legislation will clear the chamber by the president’s self-imposed July 4 deadline. “We have the votes,” House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters just after 3 a.m. Thursday in Washington. “We’re still going to meet the deadline.” Still, the path remained uncertain. Five Republicans voted against the rule late Wednesday, and eight others withheld their votes, enough to derail the measure in a chamber where Johnson can only afford three GOP defections, with all Democrats opposed. Despite controlling both the House and Senate, Republicans have struggled to unify around Trump’s flagship fiscal plan, which faces pushback from both fiscally conservative hardliners and moderates from swing districts concerned about steep cuts to Medicaid and other safety-net programs.