In a developing situation in Washington, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is encountering significant resistance from conservative hard-liners within the House of Representatives. This tension arises as Republicans aim to advance a budget blueprint recently adopted by the Senate, aimed at facilitating the passage of President Donald Trump’s agenda. House GOP leaders are anticipating a vote this week on this crucial measure, which could pave the way for committees to draft a comprehensive bill focusing on tax cuts, enhanced immigration enforcement, increased defense spending, and raising the debt limit—all without requiring Democratic votes.
However, a faction of House conservatives has voiced strong opposition to the Senate's budget plan, which stipulates only $4 billion in spending cuts. These conservatives argue that such cuts are inadequate, particularly compared to the House's proposed range of $1.5 trillion to $2 trillion in spending reductions. Representative Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), a member of the far-right House Freedom Caucus, emphasized the need for transparency, stating, "Put it in writing. The Senate's got to put the math in writing, like we did ... and let us look at it." He estimated that 15 to 20 Republicans are committed to opposing the budget resolution, jeopardizing its chances in the House.
With Republicans holding a slim majority of 220-213, they can only afford three defections, making this internal dissent particularly concerning for Speaker Johnson. To address this challenge, Johnson is turning to Trump, who has successfully rallied support for previous budget resolutions and government funding bills. Trump is scheduled to host key House Republican holdouts at the White House on Tuesday afternoon, including members of the Freedom Caucus and Republicans from high-tax blue states advocating for an increase in the state and local tax deduction.
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Speaker Johnson reiterated his intention to bring the Senate-passed budget to the House floor this week, prior to the upcoming two-week Easter recess. However, he acknowledged the difficulties involved in achieving consensus. Johnson personally discussed the Senate budget with the Freedom Caucus during their weekly meeting, stating, "We’re in the consensus-building business, and I’m working around the clock to get everybody to yes on it.”
Despite assurances from Senate GOP leaders that their $4 billion spending cut figure serves as a minimum, some in the House remain skeptical. Representative Chip Roy (R-Texas), also a member of the Freedom Caucus, criticized the Senate's approach, calling it "more of the same swamp stuff that we’ve been dealing with for years." He expressed concern that the current budget would lead to increasing deficits, stating, "I didn’t come here to make deficits go up. The Senate, apparently, did."
Underlying the conflict over the budget blueprint is a deeper rift among Republicans regarding their tax-cut strategy and the extent of spending cuts on Medicaid, which supports millions of low-income Americans and some seniors. The budget reconciliation process cannot officially commence until both chambers pass an identical budget resolution. This process allows Republicans to bypass the Senate's 60-vote requirement, given their control of 53 seats in the chamber and anticipated unified Democratic opposition.
House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), a staunch ally of Trump and founding chairman of the Freedom Caucus, encouraged his colleagues to support the creation of a conference committee to reconcile the differing budgets of the House and Senate. However, this approach could delay the process by several weeks. "If we got the votes, let's go, but I don't think we do," Jordan remarked. "It seems to me when you're here, they're there, you go to conference and you figure it out."
Senate Republicans are pressing their House counterparts to support the budget plan swiftly, allowing them to move forward with subsequent legislative steps. Senator John Kennedy (R-La.) urged the House to "follow their heart, take their brain with them, and pass the Senate resolution," emphasizing that the Senate resolution is merely a preliminary step in a larger legislative process.
