Republicans control the House and Senate.
But characterizing it as a “Republican Congress” does not bring justice to the current situation.
This is truly “President Trump’s Congress.”
The president’s relationship with Republican lawmakers is a bit off the bewildered from the 2017 troubling shotgun marriage after he unexpectedly captured the White House. The Capitol Hill Republicans didn’t know what to do with him.
User Manual to Waltz’s NSA Exit and its Reaction at Capitol Hill
Former National Security Advisor Mike Waltz (Saul Roeb/Pool/AFP via Getty Image)
Congressional Republicans “didn’t read the tweet.” They sniffed behind his back. They agreed with what they believed to be an unacceptable idea emanating from the White House.
Nor did Trump know what to do with Republicans in Congress.
He and then speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) formed the politics of a strange couple.
But Trump and his relationship with then-majority leader Mitch McConnell (r-ky.) became even worse.
So they focused on the area of agreement. Congressional Republicans viewed the Trump presidency as a means of ends. They saw the opportunity to pass some of their legislative priorities.
Reporter’s Notebook: Where to Stand with Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill”
President Donald Trump and retired Sen. Mitch McConnell have a controversial relationship. (AP Photo; Reuters)
McConnell has reviewed three Supreme Court candidates for President Trump’s Supreme Court and changed the outline of the High Court for generations. Ryan was deeply bored with his speciality: tax policy. By Christmas 2017, the Republican-led Congress had approved its proud “Trump Tax Cuts.”
But they stumbled early by abolishing and replacing Obamacare.
“I don’t sugar coat this, this is a disappointing day for us,” Ryan said in the spring of 2017 when he had to pull his first plan to finish Obamacare off the floor.
The House ultimately approved an improved repeal and replacement package over a month later. However, the late Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) trained his efforts later that summer with a vote against the plan.
But things are different this time between Trump and Republicans in Congress.
“He’s still the biggest dog in the pound,” said R-Tenn MP Tim Burchett.
Rep. Tim Barchett tells reporters he will arrive at the House Republican Conference held in Washington on November 14, 2023. (Anna Rose Rayden/Getty Images)
So, now Congressional Republicans are working with the president to hand over his “big and beautiful bill.”
“We’re on track to hand the bill out of the house and take it to the next stage by Memorial Day,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-LA.
But that doesn’t mean there’s no GOP skepticism.
“That seems like a rather tough time frame,” said Sen. Tom Tillis, Johnson’s aspiration. “I don’t know any consensus even in one of the organizations, let alone the consensus of both.”
“The July 4th time slot is optimistic,” said Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla. “If I can accomplish this by the end of July, I’ll count it as a victory.”
But deep divisions cut off Republicans.
Trump nominates Waltz for a high-level post after ousting him as a national security adviser
Fox News Digital at sunset on January 30th, 2025
“We don’t think we’re on the same page even in our homes. Much less in our homes and in our Senate,” R-Texas Rep. Chip Roy said.
Roy questioned the magical thing about finishing the bill by “anniversary” or “Independence Day.”
“Christmas? Easter? Anniversary? July 4th? Does that have something to do with policy? He insisted Roy. “As far as I can remember, all policies are based on it more than what it relates to policy.”
However, some Republicans are not convinced that Congress is moving fast enough.
President Donald Trump will speak at the Cabinet meeting held at the White House on February 26, 2025 (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Rep. Warren Davidson of R-Ohio told us what he heard from Ohio constituents.
“People say, ‘What’s taking so long?’ They don’t think it’s in a hurry. They said, “Where is the bill?”
This is why Democrats say Republicans are personally concerned.
“They are clearly at conflict over Medicaid cuts,” said D-VA Sen. Tim Kane. “They are at odds with raising the debt cap with only Republican votes, and they traditionally wanted to get a Democrat vote for that.
And Republicans are beginning to get nervous about the success or failure of the bill. The president, and most Congressional Republicans, took away the entire political calculus with this gambit.
“It’s alcohol work, not coffee,” R-La. said Sen. John Kennedy of the seniles that are now pervasive among Republicans in Congress. “Some of them will strain barium.”
Kennedy insists he is not worried. But even after two more months of holding hands, the Senate said, “will not reach a consensus.
But who builds a common ground?
“The president will have to be an arbiter.
The sides are much more sync. However, the bill is such a giant that 53 Senate Republicans and 220 House members cannot sort this out on their own. They will look to the president to resolve this.
“The difference between Republicans and how they reacted to President Trump during his first term, and what do you think is what you’re looking at now?” You really are Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y.
“I think they’re far more afraid of him now. He’s done much more in terms of threatening them, both personally and publicly,” Schumer replied. “They don’t know what to do. They’re between the rock and the difficult places. On the one hand, Trump threatens. On the other side there are Americans who hate what Trump is proposing.”
I raised a similar question to Senate Majority Leader John Toon (Rs.D.).
Senate Majority Leader John Tune (Aldrago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“Can we characterize the difference in response from Republican presidents in Congress to President Trump this time, compared to 2017? They seemed a bit skeptical of him in 2017.
“We all saw what happened in November and the orders he got from the Americans. It was clear. It was crucial,” Thune said. “Many of us who served with him in our final semester saw the impact and consequences of many of the decisions he made regarding policy. And they were right. And ultimately, he proved right in terms of economy, borders and national security.”
The point is that Trump enjoys a very different Congress compared to the Congress he was entangled in in 2017. It’s Trump’s Congress now. Gopers usually do what he asks. But when it comes to tax cuts and spending packages, Trump will ultimately have to make a decision about the specific items he wants in the law. The question is whether the president will ultimately control things. Trump’s Congress will respond.
President Donald Trump will speak at a Michigan rally commemorating the first 100 days of his second term. (Getty Images)
“He makes it clear to all members that this is important to him. He wants his big, beautiful bill,” said R-Mich, chairman of the House Republican Conference. “I don’t want to be someone who gets in the way of the president with his agenda.”
But this is not easy. Expect challenging months.
Kennedy may be right. This is for alcohol. It’s not coffee. Grab the Glenrivet and Lagabrin drums. Shelve Starbucks and Nescuffs.
Click here to get the Fox News app
That is, as long as tariffs do not raise the prices of alcohol and coffee too much.
In that case, drink some water.
Chad Pergram is currently a senior council correspondent at Fox News Channel (FNC). He joined the network in September 2007 and is based in Washington, DC.
Source link
