BOSTON — A push from a right-wing Billerica lawmaker to lower a series of taxes in Massachusetts spotlighted a contentious feud between a contingent of rank-and-file members of the House Republican caucus and conservative leadership in the chamber.

Rep. Marc Lombardo — who unsuccessfully challenged House Minority Leader Brad Jones earlier this year for the top post in the caucus — tried Monday to reduce the sales tax, exempt taxes on tips and overtime, and lower the income tax during the first day of the House’s debate on its $61 billion fiscal year 2026 budget plan.

But Lombardo’s efforts to force lawmakers to take a recorded vote on his five unsuccessful tax-related amendments faced resistance from conservative colleagues, a notable moment for a Republican caucus that generally backs any request for a roll call vote.

In an interview with reporters outside the House Chamber, Lombardo said the pushback he encountered was payback for his failed attempt to oust Jones as minority leader.

“This is another example of Brad Jones’ utter, failed leadership, and it demonstrated that he is part of the machine here on Beacon Hill,” Lombardo said. “This was coordinated with the Democratic leadership, and certainly I knew this was coming because word had got back to me that Leader Jones had orchestrated this.”

Jones won reelection as House minority leader in January after securing 19 of the 25 potential conservative votes. Lombardo, who only pulled in five votes, repeatedly criticized Jones as not mounting a strong enough challenge to the Democratic Party.

Jones, a North Reading Republican, said opposition to Lombardo’s repeated requests for recorded votes was not payback for the House minority leader fight but instead a result of Lombardo not showing up to internal meetings or communicating with other lawmakers.

He also fired back at Lombardo for making public swipes at his time in office.

“I’m not going to go waste my time working with people who just want to kick me. It’s kind of human nature. It’s not Republican, not Democrat … it’s just human nature,” Jones told reporters. “He’s obviously still hurting over the fact that he got smoked.”

Rep. Joe McKenna, a Sutton Republican who supported Lombardo’s calls for recorded votes but backed Jones in the leadership battle, said it was “unfortunate” that the conservative caucus was divided on Lombardo’s amendments.

“I thought (they) were good amendments that I would have appreciated seeing a roll call on those. It’s unfortunate,” he said. “I believe that we’re there to vote on these issues, and I certainly support the principle of having roll call votes.”

Lombardo said his five tax-related amendments sought to make Massachusetts more affordable and competitive compared to neighboring states like New Hampshire.

He said one proposal to lower the sales tax from 6.25% to 5% would help residents who are “feeling squeezed” at the grocery stores when purchasing basic household goods for their families.

“Every time they go out to provide for their families, they feel the impact of living in an unaffordable state like Massachusetts,” he said. “For too long, the cost of living in Massachusetts has risen, and for too long, we have failed to provide meaningful action.”

Rep. Adrian Madaro, an East Boston Democrat who co-chairs the Revenue Committee, opposed the sales tax amendment and argued that a $1 billion-a-year tax relief bill signed into law in 2023 has already provided relief to residents.

“A proposal like this one deserves robust deliberation through the legislative and committee process, not rushed consideration on the floor,” Madaro said. “The gentleman from Billerica has an identical piece of legislation before the Revenue Committee, which has yet to have a hearing, and we look forward to him coming down and testifying and engaging in that committee process.”

Jones said he appointed Lombardo and Rep. Nick Boldyga, a Southwick Republican and Lombardo ally, to the Revenue Committee because he knew taxes were an “important issue to them, as evidenced by the amendments that they filed.”

“They’ve never shown up to the Revenue Committee, as has been told to me by both my staff as well as others,” Jones said. “I think there’s also an element within the caucus that, I will say includes me, that you’ve seen some of the tweets and X comments both during the leadership fight and since then that, I think, frankly, people are tired of and don’t think it’s particularly productive and constructive.”

Lombardo has consistently targeted Jones on the social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, including during a series of posts Monday after Lombardo’s amendments failed during the House floor debate.

Rep. Paul Frost, an Auburn Republican and one of Jones’ top lieutenants, said Lombardo’s critiques of Jones on social media have tired other members of the Republican caucus.

“Maybe he’s just turned off enough people in his own caucus that they don’t feel conducive to supporting him if all he wants to do is cause problems between Republicans,” Frost told the Herald. “There’s gonna be some responsibility put on him.”

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