Conservatives are squeezing Mike Johnson as he scrambles to rescue his one-bill plan to pass Donald Trump’s border, energy and tax priorities. The speaker is about to make another big move to get back on track.
Where things stand: Majority Whip Steve Scalise says House GOP leaders plan to release text for their budget blueprint this morning, just as Senate Republicans are moving ahead with their own budget markup at 10 a.m. House Budget Chair Jodey Arrington is under immense pressure to get the House plan through his committee on Thursday. The Texan is “at risk of being outmaneuvered by fellow chairs, senior leaders and the Senate.”
Johnson’s problem on the right: Conservatives want deeper spending cuts than leaders want to promise and a lower cap on how much tax cuts can raise the deficit. Without a solution, it’s making it harder for Johnson to cram all of the GOP’s priorities into a single bill.
Just as House GOP leaders started to float a plan Tuesday, House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris threatened to roll out his own tax proposal in the coming days. Hard-liners have been back-channeling with Senate Budget Chair Lindsey Graham for weeks, as he pursues a two-track plan they favor. And some House Budget Committee conservatives are remaining noncommittal and hinting they want to see deeper spending cuts in the final bill.
“Those of us who are fully in favor of tax cuts, we also want to see the cut to the inflation tax that is represented by runaway spending in this town,” said Rep. Chip Roy, a member of the Budget panel and the Freedom Caucus. However, he noted talks are “in a better place.”
Asked if he supports Johnson’s current blueprint, Rep. Ralph Norman, another dual member, said with a smile: “I’m on board with what the Freedom Caucus proposed.” He added he hopes GOP leaders will stick with a $2 trillion baseline for cuts.
There’s still some hope among House GOP leaders that Trump might get rebellious members in line. Roy declined to say whether he has talked to the president recently.
The Senate isn’t waiting: Republicans in the chamber hope to approve their budget resolution on the border and energy priorities in committee today. They now believe that they have Trump’s blessing to pursue their two-bill strategy, after his border czar Tom Homan and OMB Director Russ Vought asked GOP senators in a closed-door lunch Tuesday to send them $175 billion for border security, and fast.
Ahead of the Senate Budget markup, members have filed more than 150 amendments.
What else we’re watching:
Democrats fight DOGE: As Democrats decide how to fight back against Trump’s sweeping actions against the federal government, GOP leaders indicate they want to codify Department of Government Efficiency cuts through their party-line bill. The DOGE subcommittee of Oversight also has its first hearing today.
Nomination news: The Senate will vote to confirm Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence today at 11 a.m. They will also vote to end debate on Robert F. Kennedy as HHS secretary, teeing him up for a vote on Thursday, if Democrats don’t agree to speed things along.
Meredith Lee Hill and Rachael Bade contributed to this report.
