'GOP grows impatient with Trump’s Hill agenda: 'We're running out of time''
Republicans have gained control of Washington, making significant victories less likely in the near future.
TroibNews 
Welcome to the Washington trifecta, Republicans. Now brace yourselves for a wait.
As the GOP assumes unified control of the House, Senate, and White House on Monday, congressional leaders are grappling with doubts about how swiftly they can secure major victories for Donald Trump. Their legislative agenda remains uncertain, and the deadline for contentious debates over federal spending and the debt ceiling looms.
At the center of Trump’s agenda—covering border security, energy, and tax policy—critical strategic issues are still unresolved. Once a consensus on direction is achieved, leaders will have to navigate a complex web of internal party disagreements regarding specific policies.
According to the most ambitious timeline set by Speaker Mike Johnson, it won’t be until Memorial Day that a key bill reaches Trump’s desk. Skeptical Senate Republicans are preparing alternative plans should the House fail to deliver.
“Everybody is feeling the pressure now of time,” remarked Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina, a member of the hard-right Freedom Caucus, who advocates for expedited action. “In a short period, we’ve got to make something happen.”
While major initiatives may be slow to materialize, some smaller victories are on the horizon: With some Democratic cooperation in the Senate, Republicans anticipate sending a modest immigration bill to Trump this week.
The proposed Laken Riley Act, named for a Georgia nursing student murdered last year, would mandate increased incarceration of undocumented immigrants accused of crimes. However, this represents just a fraction of the comprehensive immigration overhaul Trump envisions.
To fill the legislative calendar in the initial weeks, Johnson is considering bills related to abortion and public safety, which are likely to face Senate filibusters. He is also planning to bring a bipartisan forestry and wildfire prevention bill to a vote this week, but Congress may not approve any wildfire relief for California until at least March.
The Senate will be focused on confirming Trump's Cabinet nominees and other appointees, and both chambers are looking to utilize their Congressional Review Act authority to rollback significant regulations from the Biden administration—an effort GOP leaders hope will soothe restless conservatives.
A critical challenge is approaching: the March 14 government funding deadline, which could trigger a government shutdown if Trump and congressional Republicans fail to negotiate effectively with Democrats, who retain leverage under the Senate filibuster.
Johnson is proceeding cautiously with discussions on spending and party-line legislative agendas, particularly attentive to align with Trump, who previously overturned a spending agreement Johnson had worked out with Democrats in December. This time, Johnson seeks Trump's approval on essential elements of both initiatives, as conveyed by two unnamed sources familiar with the closed-door discussions. However, whether that approval will materialize remains uncertain.
Meanwhile, committee chairs tasked with drafting the bills are feeling the pressure. “We’re running out of time,” expressed House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole, who awaits guidance on discretionary spending targets.
Key discussions are likely to surface in a high-level meeting between Trump and congressional leaders scheduled for Tuesday. Impatience has become a recurrent theme in the interactions between branches of government; during several meetings on Capitol Hill last week, Trump’s policy chief Stephen Miller conveyed the president-elect’s desire for “immediacy” in advancing his legislative objectives.
The intensity of this pressure is mirrored in the House, where Norman and his fellow Freedom Caucus members advocate for a two-track approach to the party’s legislative agenda, opposing Johnson’s direction.
Their preference is for an initial smaller package focused on border issues, accompanied by a debt limit increase and spending cuts. This contrasts sharply with Johnson's current direction toward a comprehensive bill that includes tax reform while postponing the debt limit increase for bipartisan negotiations on government funding.
The Freedom Caucus has highlighted “Speed to deliver huge early wins on key priorities for President Trump” as a “key benefit” of their plan.
Johnson, who shares concerns with some House committee chairs that disaggregating the bills may complicate their passage given his narrow majority, attempted to quell discontent by presenting an aggressive timeline for advancing the comprehensive bill during a recent closed-door conference meeting.
A GOP lawmaker described the timeline as a positive initial step upon leaving the meeting. “But at the end of the day, we need to know the plan,” the member emphasized.
To further gauge member sentiments, the speaker has initiated a listening tour to discuss plans, particularly regarding highly controversial spending cuts. GOP Whip Tom Emmer has organized small working groups to address the varying demands of party members.
Meanwhile, congressional leaders are counting on Trump to ease tensions with a barrage of executive orders on his first day, many focusing on immigration and reversing policies from the Biden administration related to climate and pandemic responses. They hope these measures will alleviate pressure from hardliners calling for immediate and broad legislative action on border issues.
“I expect the president’s going to develop hand cramps signing executive orders,” commented Sen. John Kennedy. “And that will demonstrate meaningful progress.”
Still, many senators are eager to pursue their own two-track plan, particularly Budget Chair Lindsey Graham, who is crafting a border-first budget outline should Johnson fail to meet the tight timeline.
Sen. Ted Budd, who participated in discussions with Miller and House Republicans last week, expressed that while Trump’s early immigration executive orders would be “a good start,” they are “not permanent,” and that Republicans are eager to “codify” those executive actions into law without delay.
Debra A Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
As the GOP assumes unified control of the House, Senate, and White House on Monday, congressional leaders are grappling with doubts about how swiftly they can secure major victories for Donald Trump. Their legislative agenda remains uncertain, and the deadline for contentious debates over federal spending and the debt ceiling looms.
At the center of Trump’s agenda—covering border security, energy, and tax policy—critical strategic issues are still unresolved. Once a consensus on direction is achieved, leaders will have to navigate a complex web of internal party disagreements regarding specific policies.
According to the most ambitious timeline set by Speaker Mike Johnson, it won’t be until Memorial Day that a key bill reaches Trump’s desk. Skeptical Senate Republicans are preparing alternative plans should the House fail to deliver.
“Everybody is feeling the pressure now of time,” remarked Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina, a member of the hard-right Freedom Caucus, who advocates for expedited action. “In a short period, we’ve got to make something happen.”
While major initiatives may be slow to materialize, some smaller victories are on the horizon: With some Democratic cooperation in the Senate, Republicans anticipate sending a modest immigration bill to Trump this week.
The proposed Laken Riley Act, named for a Georgia nursing student murdered last year, would mandate increased incarceration of undocumented immigrants accused of crimes. However, this represents just a fraction of the comprehensive immigration overhaul Trump envisions.
To fill the legislative calendar in the initial weeks, Johnson is considering bills related to abortion and public safety, which are likely to face Senate filibusters. He is also planning to bring a bipartisan forestry and wildfire prevention bill to a vote this week, but Congress may not approve any wildfire relief for California until at least March.
The Senate will be focused on confirming Trump's Cabinet nominees and other appointees, and both chambers are looking to utilize their Congressional Review Act authority to rollback significant regulations from the Biden administration—an effort GOP leaders hope will soothe restless conservatives.
A critical challenge is approaching: the March 14 government funding deadline, which could trigger a government shutdown if Trump and congressional Republicans fail to negotiate effectively with Democrats, who retain leverage under the Senate filibuster.
Johnson is proceeding cautiously with discussions on spending and party-line legislative agendas, particularly attentive to align with Trump, who previously overturned a spending agreement Johnson had worked out with Democrats in December. This time, Johnson seeks Trump's approval on essential elements of both initiatives, as conveyed by two unnamed sources familiar with the closed-door discussions. However, whether that approval will materialize remains uncertain.
Meanwhile, committee chairs tasked with drafting the bills are feeling the pressure. “We’re running out of time,” expressed House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole, who awaits guidance on discretionary spending targets.
Key discussions are likely to surface in a high-level meeting between Trump and congressional leaders scheduled for Tuesday. Impatience has become a recurrent theme in the interactions between branches of government; during several meetings on Capitol Hill last week, Trump’s policy chief Stephen Miller conveyed the president-elect’s desire for “immediacy” in advancing his legislative objectives.
The intensity of this pressure is mirrored in the House, where Norman and his fellow Freedom Caucus members advocate for a two-track approach to the party’s legislative agenda, opposing Johnson’s direction.
Their preference is for an initial smaller package focused on border issues, accompanied by a debt limit increase and spending cuts. This contrasts sharply with Johnson's current direction toward a comprehensive bill that includes tax reform while postponing the debt limit increase for bipartisan negotiations on government funding.
The Freedom Caucus has highlighted “Speed to deliver huge early wins on key priorities for President Trump” as a “key benefit” of their plan.
Johnson, who shares concerns with some House committee chairs that disaggregating the bills may complicate their passage given his narrow majority, attempted to quell discontent by presenting an aggressive timeline for advancing the comprehensive bill during a recent closed-door conference meeting.
A GOP lawmaker described the timeline as a positive initial step upon leaving the meeting. “But at the end of the day, we need to know the plan,” the member emphasized.
To further gauge member sentiments, the speaker has initiated a listening tour to discuss plans, particularly regarding highly controversial spending cuts. GOP Whip Tom Emmer has organized small working groups to address the varying demands of party members.
Meanwhile, congressional leaders are counting on Trump to ease tensions with a barrage of executive orders on his first day, many focusing on immigration and reversing policies from the Biden administration related to climate and pandemic responses. They hope these measures will alleviate pressure from hardliners calling for immediate and broad legislative action on border issues.
“I expect the president’s going to develop hand cramps signing executive orders,” commented Sen. John Kennedy. “And that will demonstrate meaningful progress.”
Still, many senators are eager to pursue their own two-track plan, particularly Budget Chair Lindsey Graham, who is crafting a border-first budget outline should Johnson fail to meet the tight timeline.
Sen. Ted Budd, who participated in discussions with Miller and House Republicans last week, expressed that while Trump’s early immigration executive orders would be “a good start,” they are “not permanent,” and that Republicans are eager to “codify” those executive actions into law without delay.
Debra A Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
