R-La. Mike Johnson’s speech delayed a key vote on the law aimed at moving forward on President Donald Trump’s agenda Wednesday evening.
It guarantees spending cuts that are far less than the House’s first offering, as the sub-funded fiscal Hawks issued an alarm in the Senate version of the plan.
Johnson told reporters he aims to vote on Thursday, the last scheduled date for Congressmen before the two-week break. However, he added that lawmakers can be kept in sessions next week if necessary to pass the law.
“I don’t think we’ll vote for this tonight, but maybe in the morning,” Speaker said. “We want everyone to have a high degree of comfort in what’s going on here. And we have a small subset of members who are not completely satisfied with the product when it’s standing. So we’re going to talk about going to a meeting with the Senate or making corrections, but we’re going to make that decision.”
House Freedom Caucus Chair urges Johnson to change courses for the Senate version of Trump’s budget bill
Mike Johnson and Donald Trump split. (Getty Images)
He also said there are multiple ways that the home can move forward, allowing Republicans to see each one. “Everything is going well. There’s a bit more room here, so I’ll use it.”
The house’s floor was paralyzed for more than an hour during previous unrelated votes as Johnson met with a Republican holdout in a closed room.
Two sources in the room said Holdout didn’t talk to Trump, but it’s not clear if he called people individually.
Outside that room, in a spongy house, the lawmaker began to become pacific over time after most of the information passed.
Meanwhile, Democrats have begun asking Republican leaders to close their lingering votes.
Fox News Digital said tensions were high for GOP lawmakers who remained on the house floor. Much of that frustration is aimed at Johnson.
“I think he’s quickly losing faith from the rest of us. I mean, he’s leaving the entire meeting on the floor for 80 minutes while you play Glove A with these people.” “And all day, it was like, ‘Oh, we’re going to get this done.” ”
The House Republican said, “All the chatter we’ve heard was [holdouts were] Up to single digits. However, 17 or 20 people were in the room. So obviously there was a much bigger problem than they had been letting out all day. ”
The gap between the House and Senate versions is important. The House version, passed in late February, calls for at least $1.5 trillion in spending cuts, but the Senate plan requires at least $4 billion.
Some conservatives are also wary of Congressional leaders who are trying to use current policy baselines considering the total amount the bill adds to the federal deficit. The current policy baseline allows lawmakers to essentially zero costs for extending Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Employment Act (TCJA) as they are already in effect.
“We need to have something more substantial from the Senate. If you were trying to sell your home and I offered you a third of the price, you’d laugh,” Senator Andy Ogles, one of the earliest holdouts, told reporters Wednesday.
Meet Trump Pick’s lawmakers speaking at the Full House GOP conference to Johnson
Senator John Tune, Sen. South Dakota Senate Majority Leader, will speak to reporters on Tuesday, February 11, 2025, after a Senate Policy Luncheon at Capitol Hill, Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Trump has directed Republicans to tackle “one big, beautiful bill” to advance his agenda on border security, defense, energy and taxes.
Such measures are largely possible only through the budget adjustment process. As one party was traditionally used when administering all three branches of the government, the settlement reduced the Senate threshold for passing certain fiscal measures from 60 votes to 51. As a result, one or two large laws have been used to pass widespread policy changes.
The first step is traditionally directing relevant committees to prioritize policy in both rooms of Congress that pass on the same “framework” by the original law.
The House passed its own version of the settlement framework earlier this year, and the Senate passed an amended version last week. House GOP leaders now believe that voting for the Senate plan will allow Republicans to enter the next step in their production policy.
“Why does President Trump call it one big, beautiful bill? Because it’s a lot of very important things, one bill, that will help bring the country back to a strong foothold. And it’s about creating incredibly necessary savings.”
Laid out laws add more money for border security, including immigration and customs enforcement (ICE), and provide new funds for defense.
Republicans are also trying to enact new Trump policies, including eliminating a significant portion of former President Joe Biden’s green energy policy and eliminating taxes on tipping and overtime wages.
But House conservatives had requested additional guarantees from the Senate to show they were serious about cutting spending.
Steve Scullies, R-La, leader of the US House of Representatives majority. will speak with reporters following the House Republican Conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC on September 27, 2023 (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
The House and Senate must pass the same version of the final bill before they can reach Trump’s desk and sign the law.
They must do so by the end of the year, when Trump’s TCJA tax cuts expire.
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Trump himself worked to persuade a small White House meeting on Tuesday and a holdout in public service at the National Republican Congressional Committee.
He also fired multiple true social posts that push House Republicans to support the measure, despite arguing that conservatives would not be enough to fulfill his own agenda.
“Republicans, it’s more important than ever, that we pass a big, beautiful bill. America will soar more than ever!!!” read one of the posts.
Elizabeth Elkind is the main reporter of Fox News Digital’s reporting in the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen on Daily Mail and CBS News.
Follow me on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to Elizabeth.elkind@fox.com
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