Johnson and Trump Rally House Deficit Hawks Over Senate Budget Proposal
The president and the speaker are issuing a warning that action is urgently needed as time is running out.
TroibNews 
President Donald Trump is urging House Republicans to “quickly” adopt the Senate’s new budget framework, while Speaker Mike Johnson emphasizes that “speed really matters.” However, fiscal conservatives remain skeptical of this urgency.
House GOP leaders are poised to schedule a final vote later this week on the fiscal blueprint necessary for drafting and passing Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” along party lines this year. Deficit hawks are frustrated that the Senate did not comply with their directive of $2 trillion in spending cuts to offset tax cuts, and they are seeking further adjustments to the budget measure, which has already traversed the Capitol three times in less than two months.
Trump and Johnson's principal argument is that Republicans must urgently advance Trump's legislative agenda, with Johnson stressing the importance of progress as the president's tariffs continue to unsettle financial markets.
“The message that I’m delivering is that speed really matters, and time is not on our side,” Johnson remarked in a brief interview Monday night. “And I think that the sooner we get this done, the better.”
A strong whip operation has been mobilized for several days. White House officials reached out to holdouts over the weekend, and Johnson attended the House Freedom Caucus's weekly meeting Monday night, where loyalty to leadership is often lacking. White House Budget Director Russ Vought and his deputy, Dan Bishop, also made an appearance at the off-campus meeting.
“Kumbaya” was Johnson's message as he entered the gathering just before 8 p.m., having met earlier that evening with a group of moderates concerned about Medicaid cuts and other aspects of the plan.
After the Freedom Caucus meeting, Johnson characterized the discussion as a “great conversation” and “thoughtful deliberation,” pledging to push forward: “We're gonna try to move this this week.”
Nevertheless, several hard-line Republicans are still planning to vote “no” on the Senate budget blueprint as it currently stands, with about a dozen more leaning against it. Unless the House GOP’s fiscal hawks can align behind the proposal before lawmakers leave Thursday for a two-week Easter recess, Trump won’t be able to celebrate any progress until late April at the earliest on the GOP’s ambitious legislation encompassing tax cuts, military spending, border security investments, energy policy, and more.
Rep. Lloyd Smucker, who serves on both the Budget and the tax-writing Ways and Means committees, expressed doubt about the Senate's proposal being viable on the House side — now or in two weeks.
“If people can’t decide now that we can agree on some floor for spending cuts, then it probably won’t happen later,” Smucker stated in an interview.
He added, “The sooner that we can understand … that there just isn’t the support for that resolution to pass here, the quicker we can get to another plan.”
Smucker and other fiscal hawks are eager to initiate conference negotiations with the Senate to leverage their influence for changes there, avoiding the risk of a failed floor vote if Johnson brings the Senate-adopted measure to the floor as expected this week.
Trump is growing impatient. “There is no better time than now to get this Deal DONE!” the president stated on social media Monday night. “THE HOUSE MUST PASS THIS BUDGET RESOLUTION, AND QUICKLY — MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Rep. Ralph Norman from South Carolina, one of the Republicans opposed to the Senate’s budget, anticipated he and others might receive a personal appeal from Trump in the coming days.
“I understand he’s going to be meeting with a lot of us. So we’ll hear him out,” Norman told reporters Monday.
When asked if Trump could change his mind, Norman responded, “I don’t see it.”
Rep. Keith Self also expressed skepticism on Monday about whether the whip operation would secure the necessary votes.
“We’ll see if there’s a vote. They are whipping it right now, and I don’t think it’s going to pass,” Self remarked. “There’s got to be a change in the numbers.”
The Senate-adopted budget is scheduled to go to the House Rules Committee on Tuesday, setting up for floor debate on Wednesday. However, House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris indicated he doesn’t believe GOP leaders will proceed with those plans due to insufficient support.
Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader John Thune mentioned Monday that there is no backup plan if the House refuses to accept the Senate’s latest offering.
The Senate’s revamped budget framework, like the House's plan, was designed to garner support from a variety of factions. However, while the House version calls for significant spending cuts in the GOP's filibuster-evading reconciliation bill, the Senate bill was crafted to alleviate concerns from lawmakers about potential cuts to Medicaid and other safety-net programs.
"This bill reflects the way the Senate process works and how to thread the needle and get something across the finish line,” Thune noted, emphasizing that the Senate added different deficit reduction mandates for its own committees to address in drafting the final package, separate from those of the House.
“We left their instructions alone,” he said regarding the House’s budget directives, “and so they can still proceed with their plan.”
Emily Johnson for TROIB News
House GOP leaders are poised to schedule a final vote later this week on the fiscal blueprint necessary for drafting and passing Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” along party lines this year. Deficit hawks are frustrated that the Senate did not comply with their directive of $2 trillion in spending cuts to offset tax cuts, and they are seeking further adjustments to the budget measure, which has already traversed the Capitol three times in less than two months.
Trump and Johnson's principal argument is that Republicans must urgently advance Trump's legislative agenda, with Johnson stressing the importance of progress as the president's tariffs continue to unsettle financial markets.
“The message that I’m delivering is that speed really matters, and time is not on our side,” Johnson remarked in a brief interview Monday night. “And I think that the sooner we get this done, the better.”
A strong whip operation has been mobilized for several days. White House officials reached out to holdouts over the weekend, and Johnson attended the House Freedom Caucus's weekly meeting Monday night, where loyalty to leadership is often lacking. White House Budget Director Russ Vought and his deputy, Dan Bishop, also made an appearance at the off-campus meeting.
“Kumbaya” was Johnson's message as he entered the gathering just before 8 p.m., having met earlier that evening with a group of moderates concerned about Medicaid cuts and other aspects of the plan.
After the Freedom Caucus meeting, Johnson characterized the discussion as a “great conversation” and “thoughtful deliberation,” pledging to push forward: “We're gonna try to move this this week.”
Nevertheless, several hard-line Republicans are still planning to vote “no” on the Senate budget blueprint as it currently stands, with about a dozen more leaning against it. Unless the House GOP’s fiscal hawks can align behind the proposal before lawmakers leave Thursday for a two-week Easter recess, Trump won’t be able to celebrate any progress until late April at the earliest on the GOP’s ambitious legislation encompassing tax cuts, military spending, border security investments, energy policy, and more.
Rep. Lloyd Smucker, who serves on both the Budget and the tax-writing Ways and Means committees, expressed doubt about the Senate's proposal being viable on the House side — now or in two weeks.
“If people can’t decide now that we can agree on some floor for spending cuts, then it probably won’t happen later,” Smucker stated in an interview.
He added, “The sooner that we can understand … that there just isn’t the support for that resolution to pass here, the quicker we can get to another plan.”
Smucker and other fiscal hawks are eager to initiate conference negotiations with the Senate to leverage their influence for changes there, avoiding the risk of a failed floor vote if Johnson brings the Senate-adopted measure to the floor as expected this week.
Trump is growing impatient. “There is no better time than now to get this Deal DONE!” the president stated on social media Monday night. “THE HOUSE MUST PASS THIS BUDGET RESOLUTION, AND QUICKLY — MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Rep. Ralph Norman from South Carolina, one of the Republicans opposed to the Senate’s budget, anticipated he and others might receive a personal appeal from Trump in the coming days.
“I understand he’s going to be meeting with a lot of us. So we’ll hear him out,” Norman told reporters Monday.
When asked if Trump could change his mind, Norman responded, “I don’t see it.”
Rep. Keith Self also expressed skepticism on Monday about whether the whip operation would secure the necessary votes.
“We’ll see if there’s a vote. They are whipping it right now, and I don’t think it’s going to pass,” Self remarked. “There’s got to be a change in the numbers.”
The Senate-adopted budget is scheduled to go to the House Rules Committee on Tuesday, setting up for floor debate on Wednesday. However, House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris indicated he doesn’t believe GOP leaders will proceed with those plans due to insufficient support.
Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader John Thune mentioned Monday that there is no backup plan if the House refuses to accept the Senate’s latest offering.
The Senate’s revamped budget framework, like the House's plan, was designed to garner support from a variety of factions. However, while the House version calls for significant spending cuts in the GOP's filibuster-evading reconciliation bill, the Senate bill was crafted to alleviate concerns from lawmakers about potential cuts to Medicaid and other safety-net programs.
"This bill reflects the way the Senate process works and how to thread the needle and get something across the finish line,” Thune noted, emphasizing that the Senate added different deficit reduction mandates for its own committees to address in drafting the final package, separate from those of the House.
“We left their instructions alone,” he said regarding the House’s budget directives, “and so they can still proceed with their plan.”
Emily Johnson for TROIB News
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