Trump Calls on Republicans to Support Budget Plan Amid Persistent Holdouts
Many Republicans are still reluctant to endorse the budget plan that has already been approved by the Senate.
President Donald Trump has urged Republicans to support the Senate’s budget proposal, as signs of dissent emerge among members in the lower chamber.
“Close your eyes and get there. It’s a phenomenal bill. Stop grandstanding,” Trump stated on April 8.
Additionally, some members are worried about a provision in the Senate instructions that could increase the debt ceiling by $5 trillion.
Rep. Rich McCormick (R-Ga.) informed reporters that approximately 40 members are either opposed to or undecided about the measure, many of whom are linked to the House Freedom Caucus.
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As the vote is anticipated to align with party lines, with all Democrats expected to oppose it, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) cannot afford to lose too many votes. With Republicans holding 220 seats against Democrats’ 213, they can only tolerate a maximum of three defections.
Trump’s endorsement might persuade some dissenters to reconsider their stance, but it remains uncertain whether his influence will affect the most vocal critics of the bill.
On April 8, Trump also had a discussion with Johnson and several conservative lawmakers at the White House.
“I, along with House Members and Senators, will be pushing very hard to get these large scale Spending Cuts done, but we must get the Bill approved NOW.”
Johnson told The Epoch Times that the meeting was “very productive,” although he did not elaborate further.
Despite leadership’s expressed goal to hold a vote on the Senate’s blueprint this week, the House Rules Committee has delayed expected votes on the package twice so far.
This postponement may be due in part to the strong opposition voiced by two panel members—Reps. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) and Chip Roy (R-Texas)—against the legislation.
Norman expressed to The Epoch Times after the Senate unveiled the blueprint that it was “DEAD ON ARRIVAL” in the House.
Since then, he has consistently criticized the legislation in public statements.
Roy has also seemed to remain against the bill.
“Adopting the Senate’s amendment to the House resolution will allow us to finally begin the most important phase of this process: drafting the reconciliation bill that will fulfill President Trump’s agenda and our commitments to the American people,” Johnson wrote.
To surpass the 60-vote filibuster threshold that effectively halts most partisan bills in the Senate, Republicans are utilizing the reconciliation process.
Following the rules of this process, both chambers need to agree on identical instructions to commence work on the proposed package.
On April 2, Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) introduced the Republican draft of the budget instructions, which emerged from weeks of negotiations between House and Senate Republicans. This draft covers tax policy, federal funding for energy, defense, and border security, as well as spending cuts.
The focal point of the Senate’s plan is to make Trump’s 2017 personal income tax cuts permanent.
Currently, the instructions from each chamber—including allocations for spending and cuts—still vary at this stage of the process, allowing flexibility in drafting the finalized legislation.
Each chamber is mandated to provide new funding for defense, with additional resources allocated for homeland security. Graham, while supporting the bill on the floor, stated that this funding would be directed towards reducing the flow of fentanyl, completing the border wall, and increasing the capacity for processing deportees.
Technically, the resolution is an amendment to an earlier budget resolution that was approved by the House on February 25.
The budget instructions for the House remain unchanged in the Senate’s amendment.
