Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, announced that House Republicans would make another attempt on Thursday to adopt the crucial budget plan necessary to kick-start work on President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda. This announcement came one day after conservative members of the House threatened to derail the plan due to concerns over spending cuts.
During a news conference held alongside Senate Majority Leader John Thune from South Dakota, Johnson expressed optimism about the upcoming vote, despite having to postpone it the previous night. The underlying issue is that fiscal conservatives within the House have withheld their support unless they receive assurances for greater spending reductions in the budget resolution.
Johnson reiterated that House leaders are “committed to finding at least $1.5 trillion in savings for the American people.” The budget blueprint, previously adopted by the Senate, stipulates a minimum of $4 billion in spending cuts, which has become a point of contention among House Republicans. “I believe we have the votes to finally adopt the budget resolution so we can move forward on President Trump’s very important agenda for the American people,” Johnson stated confidently to reporters.
The Speaker emphasized the importance of collaboration between the White House and the Senate, noting that this close consultation is essential to ensure the fulfillment of shared goals during the budget reconciliation process. “This process has required a lot of close consultation… because we want to make sure that we are delivering on our shared goals,” Johnson added.
Thune, who met with several House Republican holdouts on the budget resolution, confirmed that the Senate is in alignment with the House regarding the outlined savings in the budget proposal. “We have got to do something to get the country on a more sustainable fiscal path,” Thune stated. He emphasized the necessity of a thorough examination of government spending to identify potential savings.
Thune also mentioned that many U.S. senators believe that the proposed $1.5 trillion in savings is merely a starting point, and they are committed to taking aggressive measures to ensure fiscal responsibility. “We’re certainly going to do everything we can to be as aggressive as possible to see that we are serious about the matter,” he added.
If Republicans succeed in passing the budget resolution on Thursday, it will mark the initial step in a prolonged process aimed at advancing Trump’s agenda, which includes preventing a tax hike at the end of the year, enhancing immigration enforcement, and increasing defense spending. The budget resolution will instruct relevant House and Senate committees to begin developing the specifics of these initiatives while concurrently identifying the necessary savings to fund them.
