Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent testified Wednesday to a congressional committee in favor of President Donald Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill,” saying it would be &#8220;cataclysmic&#8221; for lawmakers to let the package die.
Bessent&#8217;s remarks came in response to a question from House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Tax Chairman Mike Kelly (R-PA).
“Let’s go to what actually is going to happen if this bill doesn’t get passed,&#8221; Kelly asked Bessent. &#8220;How is it going to affect hardworking American taxpayers?”
&#8220;It would be cataclysmic,&#8221; Bessent <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/1932868781040136656">responded</a>. &#8220;It would be the largest tax hike in history. It would be a disaster for businesses, for working Americans, and for our status in the world.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/SecScottBessent?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecScottBessent</a>: If the One Big Beautiful Bill doesn&#39;t pass, &quot;it would be cataclysmic. It would be the largest tax hike in history. It would be a disaster for businesses, for working Americans, and for our status in the world.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/Aaihs72JyP">pic.twitter.com/Aaihs72JyP</a>
&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1932868781040136656?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 11, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Bessent&#8217;s warning comes as the Senate considers whether or not it will pass the bill, which passed the House by just one vote. Two House Republicans <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/gop-holdouts-sound-alarm-36t-debt-crisis-trumps-big-beautiful-bill-passes-house-vote" target="_blank" rel="noopener">voted against</a> it. <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5341080-republicans-debate-fiscal-deficit-cuts/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Senate Republicans</a> seem divided on the bill, with  Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky notably <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5314189-rand-paul-house-gop-budget-bill/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">expressing</a> his dissatisfaction with the bill’s debt ceiling.
Replying to Kelly, Bessent warned that if the bill does not pass, “We would see increases in taxes of thousands of dollars on working Americans. We would see business contract, and we would see a substantial increase in the unemployment rate.”
Proponents of the bill, which <a href="https://taxpolicycenter.org/features/2025-tax-cuts-tracker#:~:text=TAX%20CUTS-,Expiring%20TCJA%20Provisions,set%20to%20expire%20after%202025.&amp;text=Near%20doubling%20of%20the%20standard,State%20and%20local%20taxes%20(SALT)" target="_blank" rel="noopener">extends</a> the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, argue that killing it threatens the national economy, while opponents claim that the bill only adds trillions to the national debt while reducing healthcare and nutrition benefits.
Kelly also asked Bessent to comment about what more can be done to move the economy in the right direction.
“The combination of small business and manufacturing, along with the President’s tax agenda for no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, a tax cut for seniors, and the ability to buy a new, American-made car and deduct the interest will solve this horrendous affordability crisis,&#8221; Bessent replied.
“The way to think about it, Congressman — we are dealing with two things here: we are dealing with affordability and we are dealing with inflation,” Bessent said.
“We are working to pull [affordability] down. That can be pulled down two ways: through price levels or [increasing] real wages. I think we can do both but the real fill-up here would be [to] increase real wages for working Americans.”
Later in the hearing, Representative David Kustoff of Tennessee reiterated Kelly’s concerns about the danger of killing the bill.
Bessent agreed, saying that, “I think it could set off a financial crisis the likes of which we have not seen since ‘08, ‘09.”

Senate Finance Committee Holds Confirmation Hearing For Scott Bessent

Not Passing ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ Would Be ‘Cataclysmic,’ Treasury Secretary Warns

Budget

Rand Paul

Scott Bessent

Senate

President Donald Trump&#8217;s administration submitted its first rescissions package of the year to Congress, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) announced on Tuesday, accompanied by a list of instances of &#8220;waste, fraud, and abuse&#8221; singled out for the chopping block.
In a thread <a href="https://x.com/WHOMB/status/1929991228449312979" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a> on X, OMB said lawmakers in the House and Senate &#8220;must act&#8221; on the request to claw back billions of dollars in &#8220;wasteful foreign aid and federal funding for NPR and PBS&#8221; previously appropriated by Congress, with &#8220;45 days to codify these massive cuts to woke, wasteful, and weaponized spending via a simple majority vote&#8221; using the Impoundment Control Act.
OMB specifically highlighted $67,000 for testing insect powder nutrition on children in Madagascar, $33,000 for “Being LGBTI in the Caribbean,&#8221; $643,000 for &#8220;LGBTQI+&#8221; programs in the Western Balkans, and $567,000 for &#8220;LBGTQI+&#8221; programs in Uganda.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
$67,000 for testing insect powder nutrition on children in Madagascar. <a href="https://t.co/ehLzMuIkkr">pic.twitter.com/ehLzMuIkkr</a>
— Office of Management and Budget (@WHOMB) <a href="https://twitter.com/WHOMB/status/1929991230567457260?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 3, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Scores of DEI and Global Green New Deal funding&#8221; projects were also mentioned, including: $5 million for the &#8220;Minority Serving Institute Fellowship Cooperative Agreement,&#8221; $595,400 for training women in gender equity, $500,000 for electric buses in Rwanda, $6 million for “net zero cities” in Mexico, $2.1 million for climate resilience in Southeast Asia, Latin America, and East Africa, as well as $5 million for “green transportation and logistics” in Eurasia.
OMB&#8217;s list went on to mention $4 million for “legume systems research&#8221; and $3 million for Iraqi Sesame Street.
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In addition, OMB noted millions under the PEPFAR account for so-called LGBTQIA+ programs, condoms, and vasectomies: $833,000 for &#8220;transgender people, sex workers and their clients and sexual networks&#8221; in Nepal, $5.1 million for &#8220;resilience of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans gender, intersex, and queer global movements,&#8221; $3 million for circumcision, vasectomies, and condoms in Zambia, $1 billion in contributions to &#8220;wasteful, corrupt, and anti-American international organizations,&#8221; including $135 million to the World Health Organization, and $1.1 billion for the &#8220;left-wing&#8221; Corporation for Public Broadcasting, &#8220;which uses your taxpayer dollars to fund PBS and NPR.&#8221;
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) confirmed receipt of the rescissions package, which his office said focuses on $9.4 billion in &#8220;wasteful spending&#8221; identified by the Trump administration&#8217;s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative. He also gave a shoutout to Elon Musk, who earlier had <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/elon-cant-stand-it-anymore-goes-nuclear-on-big-beautiful-bill" target="_blank" rel="noopener">assailed</a> the lawmakers who voted to pass the &#8220;One Big, Beautiful Bill&#8221; last month, citing the &#8220;unsustainable&#8221; debt.
&#8220;The House will act quickly on this request,&#8221; Johnson said in a statement. &#8220;Under President Trump, every federal taxpayer dollar is actually being used to serve the American people, not to fund a bloated bureaucracy or purely partisan pet projects. We thank Elon Musk and his DOGE team for identifying a wide range of wasteful, duplicative, and outdated programs, and House Republicans are eager to eliminate them.&#8221;
He added: &#8220;This rescissions package reflects many of DOGE’s findings and is one of the many legislative tools Republicans are using to restore fiscal sanity. Congress will continue working closely with the White House to codify these recommendations, and the House will bring the package to the floor as quickly as possible.&#8221;
Johnson also took a shot at Democrats, who have largely opposed anything Trump supports, including DOGE.
“Democrats continue to wail and complain — NOT at the fraud, waste, and abuse — but at the Trump Administration simply for exposing it,&#8221; the speaker declared. &#8220;In fact, Democrats are the only ones in Washington who do not want to stop the egregious misspending of the people’s tax dollars. Democrats continue to defend corruption, while Republicans are delivering real accountability and real savings the American people demanded in November.&#8221;
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) criticized the spending cuts request.
&#8220;The reckless rescissions package introduced today is only the latest attempt by the Trump administration to attack the free press, decimate lifesaving humanitarian aid and hurt our national security,&#8221; Jeffries said in a statement. &#8220;House Democrats will continue to aggressively push back on the continued chaos, cruelty and corruption of this administration and on the far-right extremism being unleashed on the American people.&#8221;

President Trump

DEI, Insect Powder, And Trans ‘Resilience’: Trump Unveils ‘Woke’ Spending Cuts Request

Congress

Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)

Mike Johnson

National Public Radio (NPR)

Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

Politics

Public Broadcasting Service (PBS)

Spending Bill

Trump Administration

U.S. House of Representatives

U.S. Senate

USAID

The budget bill moves to the Senate, Trump confronts the President of South Africa, and two staffers at the Israeli Embassy are gunned down in a targeted attack. Plus, Colorado passes a bill that makes misgendering a discriminatory act.
It’s Friday, May 23, and this is the news you need to know to start your day.
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<h2>Washington Roundup</h2>
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Topline: It’s been a busy few days in Washington, with big news on Trump&#8217;s budget bill, South Africa, and even the Supreme Court.
Early Thursday morning, the House of Representatives passed a comprehensive tax and budget package — what the president has been calling the “big, beautiful bill.” This was a huge win for President Trump, who pushed congressional Republicans to pass a single bill rather than several smaller pieces of legislation. It’s perhaps an even bigger win for House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), who not only rallied his caucus to this seemingly impossible task, but did so by his self-imposed Memorial Day deadline, which many people thought was impractical. The bill passed the House 215-214, with every Democrat voting “no” and a handful of Republicans dissenting as well. The legislation now goes to the Republican-controlled Senate, which Trump hopes will wrap things up by July 4.
The bill contained many key priorities for the Trump administration. Russ Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, joked that there was so much good stuff in the bill, it was impossible for him to single out the most important part: “You’re asking me to choose amongst my children! They are all very important … we have ended fiscal irresponsibility and futility by not being able to pass big reductions and mandatory savings that make total sense.”
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Among other things, the bill, which is more than 1,000 pages long, raises the debt limit by $4 trillion and funds Trump’s priorities on border security, energy, and national defense. It extends the 2017 Trump tax cuts, which are set to expire at the end of the year. It also defunds Planned Parenthood and blocks federal dollars from funding transgender procedures.
Meanwhile… This week, President Trump hosted South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in an Oval Office meeting &#8212; they wanted to talk tariffs and foreign aid. Remember, this came on the heels of the White House welcoming 59 white South African farmers to the United States. Those farmers claim they’re fleeing an anti-white genocide in their home country, something the South African government strongly denies. But Trump came prepared to have that conversation with Ramaphosa, at one point dimming the lights in the Oval Office to play videos of anti-white rhetoric in South Africa.
And… On Thursday, the Supreme Court handed down a 4-4 decision on whether Oklahoma could open the nation’s first religious charter school. Justice Amy Coney Barrett abstained from voting, which caused the tie. Because there was no majority, the court did not issue an opinion, and we don’t know how the other justices voted. But that also means this case does not become federal precedent, and the court will likely have to take up the issue again.
<h2>Embassy Staff Gunned Down In Antisemitic Terror Attack In D.C.</h2>
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Topline: Two Israeli Embassy staffers were gunned down in Washington, D.C. this week in what FBI officials are calling an act of terrorism.
On Wednesday night, the American Jewish Committee was hosting a celebration at the Capital Jewish Museum, just blocks from the U.S. Capitol. As the event ended, a lone gunman opened fire, killing 26-year-old Sarah Milgrim and 30-year-old Yaron Lischinsky, both of whom worked at the Israeli Embassy and were in a relationship. According to family members, Yaron had purchased an engagement ring and planned to propose to Sarah next week during a trip to Jerusalem.
Shortly after opening fire, the gunman, 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez, entered the museum and told attendees to call the police. Footage from the scene shows him holding up a red kaffiyeh while chanting two words while being handcuffed: “Free Palestine.”
Days before the attack, the museum where the shooting took place applied for a security grant from the D.C. Government, citing “concern[s] about security due to some very scary incidents that some institutions have faced and because of a climate of antisemitism.” FBI Director Kash Patel said the incident was an act of terrorism, and officials say Rodriquez appeared to have acted alone.
Shortly before the attack, Rodriquez published a manifesto titled “Escalate for Gaza, Bring The War Home.” There, he wrote that anyone supporting Israel had “forfeited their humanity,” adding that his attack was “in some funny way, the only sane thing to do.” In recent years, Rodriguez was heavily involved in far-Left political activism — taking part in numerous anti-Israel demonstrations and working with the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL).
Jewish leaders have been warning that growing anti-Israel sentiment on college campuses and in the media would inevitably lead to attacks like this one. Jonathan Epstein, a recent graduate of Columbia University who was a witness to the shooting, told <a href="https://x.com/RedWave_Press/status/1925526438666498127">CNN</a>, “I saw the same thing in his eyes that I saw in the eyes of all the protesters at Columbia. Nothing different between him and them. … They gave the permission. And they have called for this.”
<h2>Colorado Makes &#8220;Misgendering&#8221; Illegal</h2>
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Topline: &#8220;Misgendering&#8221; is now officially an illegal, discriminatory act under Colorado law.
Colorado Democratic Governor Jared Polis signed <a href="https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb25-1312">House Bill 1312</a> into law last week. This applies to places like workplaces and schools, and violations of the statute could lead to fines or other civil penalties under Colorado’s anti-discrimination laws.
The law is drastically pared down from its original version, which said parents in custody battles who misgender or “deadname” their child were guilty of “coercive control” and could lose custody. Under Colorado law, &#8220;coercive control&#8221; is a serious category that <a href="https://frascona.com/sweeping-new-domestic-abuse-laws-for-divorcing-couples-unmarried-couples-and-children/">includes</a> things like threatening to kill someone.
“This bill was an attack on parental rights,” Colorado House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese (R-14) told The Daily Wire. “This is an issue that transcends party lines. It doesn’t matter if you’re a Republican, a Democrat, or unaffiliated. Nobody wants the government to be raising our children, or telling us how to raise our children.”
More than 700 Coloradans signed up to testify against the bill, and tens of thousands more signed petitions against it. Ultimately, Democrats were forced to strike the radical custody battle language, and some Democratic lawmakers even backed down and refused to vote for it unless the custody provision was removed.
The new law bars Colorado courts from enforcing statutes from other states that could remove children from parents who support their children taking transgender hormones or undergoing surgeries. It also requires schools that have dress codes to allow students to wear the uniform of the opposite gender and mandates that schools have policies affirming chosen names. The bill also allows people who identify as transgender to change the gender marker on their driver&#8217;s license up to three times without a court order.
Colorado has other controversial bills on transgender ideology coming down the pike, including one that would <a href="https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb25-1309">ban</a> health insurers from limiting so-called “necessary” transgender procedures.

052325 MRN Thumbnail V1

Morning Brief: Trump’s Budget Win, D.C. Attack, & Parents Fight Trans Law

Anti-Semitism

Colorado

Donald Trump

Gaza

Israel

Media

Morning Wire

Murder

Transgender

Washington D.C.

The Trump-backed “big, beautiful bill&#8221; House Republicans passed early Thursday will prohibit all federal funding for transgender procedures on both children and adults if signed into law.
During a marathon nighttime session, Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) successfully expanded a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/republicans-take-big-step-to-codify-trumps-battle-against-gender-insanity?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Republicans+Take+Big+Step+To+Codify+Trump’s+Battle+Against+Gender+Insanity" target="_blank" rel="noopener">provision</a> banning funding for transgender procedures for kids to include adults as well. Due to Crenshaw&#8217;s amendment, Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program will no longer cover life-altering and dangerous transgender medical procedures.
&#8220;The Crenshaw Amendment will become law — and it’s long overdue,&#8221; the Texas Republican told The Daily Wire. &#8220;Gender transition procedures are the lobotomy of our generation. So-called &#8216;gender-affirming care&#8217; isn’t healthcare—it’s fringe science with no proven benefit and massive risks.&#8221;
The provision was secured by an amendment to Section 1903(i) of the Social Security Act, prohibiting funding for medically unnecessary procedures. This would mean funding would no longer go toward things like removing the breasts of women who identify as men or crafting pseudo male or female genitalia for transgender-identifying individuals.
Last week, Crenshaw introduced a provision banning the funding of the procedures on kids into the House Energy and Commerce Committee budget bill that it sent to the House Budget Committee. That provision alone would have saved $1.4 billion in taxpayer dollars, The Daily Signal <a href="https://www.dailysignal.com/2025/05/15/republicans-could-secure-about-1-4-billion-savings-through-defunding-child-transitions/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> last week.
The full House passed the budget bill 215-214 Thursday morning, including Crenshaw&#8217;s transgender funding ban for both kids and adults. President Donald Trump has cited the ban on funding of child transgender procedures as one of the reasons for Republicans to back the bill.
Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS) has pushed for a similar provision to end all taxpayer funding of transgender procedures.
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Crenshaw also secured reimbursements for Texas and other border states that have borne the brunt of the illegal immigration under former President Joe Biden, and added work requirements for able-bodied adults to be eligible for Medicaid, with exceptions for disabled people or pregnant women.
Social conservatives also picked up another major win with the advancement of the budget bill, as it would end Medicaid funding for abortion giant Planned Parenthood. Terry Schilling, the president of the American Principles Project, celebrated the passage of the bill.
&#8220;The One, Big, Beautiful Bill that passed the House will end taxpayer funding for gender transition surgeries, defund Planned Parenthood and increase the Child Tax Credit – all are monumental wins for our great nation,&#8221; Schilling said. &#8220;Now it is time for the Senate to get this bill across the finish line so we can Make Families Great Again.”

Members Of The Texas Congressional Delegation Speak On Border Security

‘Long Overdue’: House Republicans Vote To End Federal Funding For Transgender Procedures

Dan Crenshaw

House of Representatives

Medicaid

transgender surgery

President Donald Trump’s “one big, beautiful bill” hit a major roadblock in Congress on Friday as GOP infighting stalled progress.
The House Budget Committee failed to advance the <a href="https://docs.house.gov/meetings/BU/BU00/20250516/118284/BILLS-119pih.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">legislation</a> in a 16-21 vote, with five Republicans joining Democrats over a dispute on the degree and timing of efforts to rein in the deficit, benefits, and environmental programs.
The outcome is a blow to House GOP leadership, which hopes to get the bill passed by Memorial Day. Budget Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-TX) <a href="https://x.com/CraigCaplan/status/1923410292882481224" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> he did not expect the panel to meet again on Friday and <a href="https://x.com/HouseBudgetGOP/status/1923456699643379990" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suggested</a> it could take another crack at the legislation on Sunday evening.
With negotiations poised to stretch into the weekend, members will have to consider that certain alterations to placate the GOP holdouts might alienate other Republicans.
One of the GOP defectors, Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R-PA), <a href="https://x.com/RepSmucker/status/1923416132117020712" target="_blank" rel="noopener">explained</a> on X that he &#8220;fully&#8221; supports the &#8220;one big, beautiful bill&#8221; and his vote was a &#8220;procedural requirement to preserve the committee’s opportunity to reconsider the motion to advance&#8221; it.
The other Republicans who opposed the legislation included conservative Reps. Chip Roy (R-TX), Andrew Clyde (R-GA), Josh Brecheen (R-OK), and Ralph Norman (R-SC). Doing more to shrink the deficit, benefit reform, and repealing the &#8220;Green New Scam&#8221; are <a href="https://x.com/chiproytx/status/1923415709247291674" target="_blank" rel="noopener">among</a> their priorities.
&#8220;Reps. Roy, Norman, Brecheen, Clyde and others continue to work in good faith to enact the President’s &#8216;Big Beautiful Bill&#8217; — we were making progress before the vote in the Budget Committee and will continue negotiations to further improve the reconciliation package,&#8221; the House Freedom Caucus <a href="https://x.com/freedomcaucus/status/1923415292404777170" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a post on X. &#8220;We are not going anywhere and we will continue to work through the weekend.&#8221;
Trump, who wrapped up a tour through the Middle East this week, had called on Republicans to pass the overall tax and budget bill to implement various priorities of his second term.
&#8220;Republicans MUST UNITE behind, &#8216;THE ONE, BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL!&#8217; Not only does it cut Taxes for ALL Americans, but it will kick millions of Illegal Aliens off of Medicaid to PROTECT it for those who are the ones in real need,&#8221; Trump said in a <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114517897638237566" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post</a> on Truth Social.
&#8220;The Country will suffer greatly without this Legislation, with their Taxes going up 65%,&#8221; he added. &#8220;It will be blamed on the Democrats, but that doesn’t help our Voters. We don’t need “GRANDSTANDERS” in the Republican Party. STOP TALKING, AND GET IT DONE! It is time to fix the MESS that Biden and the Democrats gave us. Thank you for your attention to this matter!&#8221;
Other House committees advanced their respective parts of the bill this week, but there are certain matters within those pieces that might need to change in order for a sufficient number of Republicans and their slim majority to rally around the final product, including the state and local tax <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/this-tax-deduction-cap-threatens-to-derail-trumps-one-big-beautiful-bill" target="_blank" rel="noopener">(SALT) deduction cap</a>.
Democrats who are focused on pushing back on Trump&#8217;s agenda celebrated the House Budget Committee snafu.
&#8220;BREAKING: We just stopped the Republican budget bill in committee,&#8221; Rep. Brandon Boyle (D-PA) <a href="https://x.com/CongBoyle/status/1923413597255794984" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> on X. &#8220;Whether it&#8217;s adding trillions to the debt, massive giveaways to billionaires, or millions of Americans kicked off their health care, Republicans know how unpopular this bill is. We won&#8217;t stop fighting back.&#8221;
If and when the “one big, beautiful bill” gets passed through the House, it will head to the Senate, which also has a narrow GOP majority. There, the measure could also have a difficult time as some Republicans have already voiced objections to its <a href="https://x.com/atrupar/status/1922691432017543566" target="_blank" rel="noopener">handling</a> of Medicaid and <a href="https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/05/14/congress/the-titanic-johnson-predicts-houses-big-beautiful-reconciliation-bill-will-sink-in-the-senate-00348310" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spending</a> cuts.

President Donald Trump

Trump’s ‘One Big, Beautiful Bill’ Hits Snag In Critical Vote

President Donald Trump deepens U.S. ties in the Middle East with historic economic partnerships, while domestic battles over tax cuts and Medicaid rage on in Congress. The Federal Aviation Administration calls an urgent meeting with airlines to address critical staff shortages and faulty equipment at major travel hubs, grounding thousands of flights. And, a sweeping ICE raid in Nashville nets nearly 200 illegal aliens, sparking backlash from the city’s Democratic mayor and a larger national debate on Homeland Security protocols. 
It’s Thursday, May 15, and this is the news you need to know to start your day.
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<h2>Budget Battle Continues</h2>
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Topline: House Republicans negotiated Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” this week in marathon sessions that began Tuesday and stretched well into Wednesday morning. Lawmakers muscled the legislation forward to prepare it for passage by the end of next week.
As budget negotiations continue to shape the bill, Congressional Republicans are focused on permanently extending Trump’s 2017 &#8220;Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.&#8221; On top of that, Republicans want to make good on Trump’s campaign promises, such as no tax on tips, and boost funding for the military and immigration enforcement.
“We&#8217;re checking all the boxes,&#8221; Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) told Newsmax. “ [The president] promised no taxes on overtime, no taxes on Social Security, no taxes on, for example, interest on car loans that are made in America. A number of those things are woven into this bill, and we&#8217;ve made all the math work so we can do that.“
So far, Republicans have agreed on new tax exemptions for tips and overtime pay for those earning less than $160,000 annually. The government will pay $1,000 to parents for babies born through December 31, 2028. The House bill also raises the State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction from $10,000 up to $30,000, which some Republicans in blue states have said is still not enough.
However, to balance the books, the GOP must find funding offsets. For example, the bill limits itemized deductions for the 37% top bracket, and some Inflation Reduction Act tax credits for electric vehicles and green energy will be scrapped, though not entirely until 2029. The bill would also introduce work requirements for able-bodied people to access Medicaid, and would create new safeguards to prevent waste and fraud, although those reforms could face opposition in the Senate.
And… Yesterday, the White House announced an agreement that it said would generate an economic exchange worth $1.2 trillion with Qatar. As part of that deal, Qatar Airways said it plans to buy as many as 210 planes from Boeing. The U.S. has also agreed to deeper military cooperation with Qatar. Earlier this week, the president struck deals with Saudi Arabia that the White House says are worth about $600 billion.
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<h2>FAA Reforms</h2>
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Topline: The Trump administration is putting pressure on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) after several deadly plane crashes and concerns with staffing shortages.
On Wednesday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy testified to lawmakers on a House Appropriations subcommittee about the Transportation Department’s new budget request. He’s asking for billions of dollars to update the country’s air traffic control system, which has been the target of widespread criticism after several deadly disasters and major snarls in the system.
Hundreds of flights were grounded at Newark Liberty International Airport last week when air traffic controllers lost communications with planes for about 90 seconds. Newark needs 38 air traffic controllers – it only has 24, and five of them are on a 45-day trauma leave due to stress resulting from recent problems. Also, construction at Newark has caused about 34 flight cancellations per day. Duffy blamed the Biden administration for failing to fix a broken system.
“This did not have to be our story,” Duffy said. “Over the last four years, the last administration, they knew this was a problem. And by the way, during COVID, when people weren’t flying, that was a perfect time to fix these problems.”
On Wednesday, airlines met with the FAA to address the situation at Newark. The FAA is already working on the Newark airport — it installed a software update to prevent another outage and is slashing the number of flights for now.
Duffy has made reversing the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI ) hiring practices implemented under the Obama and Biden administrations a major focus and has introduced a new recruitment program to address the air traffic controller shortage. He also <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/transportation/5290613-sean-duffy-air-traffic-control-overhaul/">wants</a> to invest in new equipment — new radios for air traffic controllers, radar on the ground, tarmac sensors, and a new flight management system to improve airspace efficiency. As he was testifying to Congress on Wednesday, Duffy’s Transportation Department announced it had just approved dozens more infrastructure grants, for a total of 405 grants worth nearly $5 billion so far. The department says it has cleared about 13% of the backlog under former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who served during the Biden administration.
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<h2>Nashville ICE Raids Nab Nearly 200 Illegals</h2>
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Topline: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) carried out a week of raids in Nashville, Tennessee, arresting nearly 200 illegal aliens and prompting outrage from the city’s Democratic mayor.
A week-long ICE raid in Nashville that started on May 3 captured nearly 200 illegal aliens, many of whom have been convicted of criminal offenses. Of the 196 illegal aliens detained by ICE, 95 had prior criminal convictions or pending charges, and 31 had illegally re-entered the United States after previously being deported.
A Daily Wire investigation found that one of the illegal aliens captured is a 60-year-old Iraqi national who was convicted of rape and failed to register as a sex offender. Another is a 33-year-old from El Salvador believed to be affiliated with MS-13, a violent gang that was recently designated a foreign terror organization by the Trump administration. The government of El Salvador also suspects the man of committing aggravated murder. There’s also a Haitian male convicted of possessing meth with the intent to distribute, a Salvadoran convicted of possessing cocaine with the intent to manufacture and sell the drug, and a Guatemalan national with a conviction for aggravated assault.
Nashville Democratic Mayor Freddie O’Connell said that ICE’s immigration enforcement raids caused “deep community harms” and added that he was “heartbroken” over the federal law enforcement agency’s actions. O’Connell announced the creation of the “belonging fund,” a joint project between the city of Nashville and a local foundation to support organizations that assist illegal aliens with their childcare, transportation, and food needs. The mayor also signed an executive order requiring city employees and police to report any communications with ICE to his office.
But Nashville Legal Director Wally Dietz said that the city government can do nothing to prevent ICE from carrying out enforcement operations in Nashville. “We are powerless. We have absolutely no authority to instruct ICE not to carry out their enforcement actions…we have no authority to tell [Tennessee Highway Patrol] they cannot cooperate with ICE.”
Tricia McLaughlin, the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, called O’Connell a “pro-open borders politician&#8221; who would “rather protect illegal aliens than American citizens.” O’Connell was also slammed by ICE acting director Todd Lyons, who said that the Nashville mayor should be thanking the federal law enforcement agency for protecting his city.

MRN 5.15.25 Thu Thumbnail_V1

Morning Brief: Budget Battles, Billion-Dollar Bets & ICE Busts

Department of Transportation

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

Illegal Immigation

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Nashville

House Republicans took major step on Wednesday afternoon towards codifying President Donald Trump&#8217;s efforts to protect children from transgender procedures during a marathon markup session for the &#8220;one, big, beautiful bill&#8221; working its way through Congress.
After a 26-hour budget hearing, the House Energy and Commerce Committee passed a provision from Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) that would block federal dollars funding transgender procedures. This means that Medicaid, Affordable Care Act, and Children&#8217;s Health Insurance Program money will no longer be allowed to fund procedures like removing the breasts of girls who identify as boys or putting children on cross-sex hormones, if the provision makes it through the rest of the reconciliation process.
The provision was included in the committee&#8217;s portion of the Trump-backed budget bill. In a video shared with The Daily Wire, Crenshaw said he believed that ultimately his proposal would become law.
&#8220;I think it will pass the House, I think it will pass the Senate. I think President Trump will sign it into law. Keep in mind, President Trump has already done an executive action on this, but it needs to be codified for it to really take effect. This is a huge win,&#8221; he said. &#8220;You got to protect these kids, the science is clear at this point.&#8221;
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Dan Crenshaw just made sure a ban on federal funding for any transgender procedure on kids is in the House budget bill.
Here’s what he had to say—after 26 hours of debate with Democrats: <a href="https://t.co/Yi4aP7heCs">pic.twitter.com/Yi4aP7heCs</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1922768711389188573?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
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He added that it was &#8220;interesting&#8221; that Democrats did not introduce any amendments to block his provision while they did for every other GOP-backed proposal.
&#8220;They know it&#8217;s a losing issue, they know we won this issue. They know to stay away from it. Stay away from kids. Stop doing pseudo-science, scientific experiments on children who would be better off in therapy. We&#8217;re winning.&#8221;
Crenshaw introduced his provision at around 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, roughly 25 hours after the committee began its meeting at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
&#8220;This will become law and I couldn&#8217;t be happier about it,&#8221; Crenshaw said. &#8220;Gender transition procedures are the lobotomy of our generation. People will look back on this period, I think with disbelief, I guarantee it. &#8216;Gender-affirming care&#8217; isn&#8217;t healthcare, it&#8217;s fringe science with no proven benefit and enormous risks.&#8221;
Democrat Rep. Nanette Díaz Barragán (CA) referred to Crenshaw&#8217;s comments as &#8220;gibberish&#8221; and attacked Republicans over provisions meant to reform Medicaid.
Crenshaw proposed a similar bill in January. Now, the proposal from the House Energy Committee will go to the House Budget Committee, which will then combine each of the House committee&#8217;s budget proposals into one piece of legislation that will then go to the full House for a vote.
The Texas Republican&#8217;s provision was part of the House Energy Committee&#8217;s commitment to identify $880 billion in spending cuts. Another proposal from Crenshaw was an 80-hour-per-month work, training, or volunteer requirement for able-bodied, working-age adults without dependents to get Medicaid. Exceptions for seniors, pregnant women, caregivers, students, and those with disabilities were given.
If Crenshaw&#8217;s transgender procedures proposal makes it across the finish line, it would cement in law President Donald Trump&#8217;s executive order on &#8220;Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation.&#8221; Trump directed his cabinet to ensure that no federal dollars were going toward hospitals or institutions that promote or perform transgender procedures on children.
Trump&#8217;s executive order called for Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to look at ways to &#8220;take all appropriate actions to end the chemical and surgical mutilation of children&#8221; including by examining Medicaid funding. The Department of Health and Human Services <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hhs-releases-damning-review-of-gender-treatments-for-minors-the-risks-cannot-be-ignored" target="_blank" rel="noopener">released a report</a> earlier this month documenting the risks of transgender procedures for children, including infertility, sexual dysfunction, and cardiovascular disease.
In the other chamber, Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS) is pushing for his “No Subsidies for Gender Transition Procedures Act,&#8221; which would prohibit federal dollars from funding any transgender medical procedure, to be included in the reconciliation process.

Rep. Dan Crenshaw

Republicans Take Big Step To Codify Trump’s Battle Against Gender Insanity

gender ideology

One of the biggest victories of President Donald Trump&#8217;s first 100 days <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hold-trump-scores-big-beautiful-victory-house-budget-vote" target="_blank" rel="noopener">came</a> when Congress passed a budget reconciliation framework, paving the way for his domestic agenda in a single, comprehensive bill. The measure — which the president has dubbed &#8220;one big, beautiful bill&#8221; — aims to extend tax cuts, enhance border security, and boost national defense.
The budget reconciliation process allows for more streamlined consideration of legislation pertaining to the federal budget. With it, the Senate requires only a simple majority — 51 votes — to pass a bill that gets developed after Congress passes a blueprint for how to proceed, bypassing the three-fifths majority threshold needed to overcome a filibuster. Currently, Senate Republicans hold a 53-seat majority.
Before taking office in January, Trump expressed his preference for passing a single bill, <a href="https://x.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1876089056817455175?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1876089056817455175%7Ctwgr%5E00f92e1a263f9d2933e2e879f4433950b013a16b%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newsweek.com%2Fdonald-trump-vows-one-powerful-bill-pass-major-maga-policies-2010106" target="_blank" rel="noopener">arguing</a> that such a &#8220;powerful&#8221; measure would &#8220;bring our Country back, and make it greater than ever before,&#8221; and would be offset by tariffs in response to countries he says have been taking advantage of the United States for years.
Each chamber of Congress charted a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/two-ways-about-it-house-and-senate-chart-different-paths-for-trump-budget-priorities-and-tax-cuts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">different</a> course, at least initially.
The Senate took a two-step approach, wherein one bill would address budget priorities while leaving tax cuts for a future measure. But House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) opted to pursue legislation with everything in one package.
Reaching the finish line first, the Senate <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senate-passes-late-night-budget-bill-focused-on-border-defense-spending" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passed</a> a $340 billion budget resolution tackling immigration and border security, defense, and energy in early February. The House ignored the Senate framework and later that month <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trumps-one-big-beautiful-budget-vision-clears-house-in-massive-victory-for-mike-johnson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">advanced</a> its own plan that would not leave the tax cuts for a future piece of legislation.
In the weeks that followed, the Senate essentially abandoned its two-step plan and pressed ahead with taking up the House resolution. Unlike the House, the Senate has to contend with the <a href="https://x.com/AndrewDesiderio/status/1905623315378471013" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Byrd Rule</a> for budget reconciliation, which constrains the upper chamber to focus solely on fiscal measures such as extending tax cuts and raising the debt ceiling while stripping out non-budgetary provisions.
What ultimately passed through the Senate was an amended framework that seeks to retain the 2017 tax cuts set to expire this year, raise the debt ceiling by $5 trillion, and increase spending on border security and defense. It also includes several billion dollars in spending reductions — far less than the more than $2 trillion goal in the original House resolution.
The lesser spending-reduction goals that made it into the Senate&#8217;s version proved to be disagreeable for several House conservatives, though Republican leadership managed to overcome the resistance. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) had offered his assurances that the upper chamber would strive to become &#8220;aligned&#8221; with the House in terms of savings. And, on April 10, the framework narrowly <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hold-trump-scores-big-beautiful-victory-house-budget-vote" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passed</a> the House, with two Republicans casting their no votes alongside 212 Democrats.
Although Democrats who oppose the budget plan <a href="https://x.com/HouseDemocrats/status/1909984102641512926" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claim</a> that it could lead to $880 billion in cuts to Medicaid and benefit the wealthy, Trump has <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/2025/03/fact-check-president-trump-will-always-protect-social-security-medicare/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">insisted</a> he would not touch Medicaid, Medicare, or Social Security. He has, however, said fraud and illegal immigrants will be rooted out of the system. The president has also pushed for a number of tax cuts that could help Americans in the middle and lower-income brackets. Among his ideas are eliminating taxes on tips and <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114410073592204291" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reducing</a> income taxes for people making less than $200,000 a year.
The &#8220;big, beautiful bill&#8221; is coming together under the shadow of a national debt that is <a href="https://www.usdebtclock.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">approaching</a> $37 trillion.
Trump&#8217;s administration has engaged in a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) effort led by tech executive Elon Musk, which <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/elon-significantly-cut-back-doge-time" target="_blank" rel="noopener">says</a> its “estimated savings” have reached $160 billion amid cuts to programs and jobs across the federal bureaucracy. The White House also unleashed &#8220;Liberation Day&#8221; tariffs, with which the president contends he is trying to dismantle unfair trade practices. And yet another stopgap bill to avert a partial government shutdown — this one lasting for six months — was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senate-officially-sends-funding-bill-to-trumps-desk-after-dems-cave" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passed</a> and signed by Trump in March.
Negotiators are now working on putting together the budget reconciliation legislation, using the amended resolution as a guide.
&#8220;It’s a complicated piece of legislation. I think it can be and probably will be one of the most consequential pieces of legislation ever passed by the United States Congress,&#8221; Speaker Johnson told host Will Cain in a Fox News <a href="https://x.com/SpeakerJohnson/status/1915179044288815247" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview</a> last week, adding later, &#8220;Here&#8217;s the update. What you&#8217;ll see over the next four weeks is the pieces, the various components of that big bill, rolling out of these committees. You&#8217;ll have committee markups scheduled and all those 11 committees successively over the four weeks. And you&#8217;re going to see this thing come together.&#8221;
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggested the legislation could be complete by Independence Day following a gathering on Monday of the so-called &#8220;Big Six,&#8221; which includes himself, White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett, Johnson, Thune, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-ID), and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R-MO).
&#8220;We had another successful &#8216;Big Six&#8217; meeting today, and we hope to have a tax bill done by the Fourth of July,&#8221; Bessent <a href="https://x.com/SecScottBessent/status/1916968595650695616" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a post on X. &#8220;The House is moving things along quickly, and the Senate is in lockstep. I&#8217;m happy to announce that they are in substantial agreement and that this is going to be a very big, pro-growth win for the American people.&#8221;

Donald Trump Delivers Joint Address To Congress

Trump 2.0 In 100 Days: ‘One Big, Beautiful Bill’ Comes Together

U.S.

In a major triumph for President Donald Trump, the GOP-led House passed a budget plan on Thursday morning that lays the groundwork for his domestic priorities in &#8220;one big, beautiful bill,&#8221; overcoming resistance from a group of conservatives disappointed by a lack of deeper spending cuts.
The amended <a href="https://www.budget.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/senate_amendment_h_con_res_14.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">resolution</a>, already cleared by the Senate, provides a blueprint for lawmakers to craft legislation via the budget reconciliation process. Negotiations with GOP holdouts in the House stretched to the last moment, and <a href="https://x.com/cspan/status/1910350835969638674" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ultimately,</a> 216 Republicans and no Democrats voted in favor of the measure. Two Republicans and 212 Democrats voted against it.
President Trump immediately <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114314374220244880">responded</a> on Truth Social: &#8220;Congratulations to the House on the passage of a Bill that sets the stage for one of the Greatest and Most Important Signings in the History of our Country,&#8221; he wrote. &#8220;Among many other things, it will be the Largest Tax and Regulation Cuts ever even contemplated. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!&#8221;
The resolution seeks to retain the 2017 tax cuts set to expire this year, raise the debt ceiling by $5 trillion, and increase spending on border security and defense. It also includes several billion dollars in spending reductions — far less than the more than $2 trillion goal in the original resolution narrowly <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trumps-one-big-beautiful-budget-vision-clears-house-in-massive-victory-for-mike-johnson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passed</a> by the House in February.
When taking up the initial House resolution, the <a href="https://x.com/AndrewDesiderio/status/1905623315378471013" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Byrd Rule</a> constrained the Senate to focus solely on fiscal measures like extending tax cuts and raising the debt ceiling while stripping out non-budgetary provisions. The lesser spending-reduction goals that made it into the Senate&#8217;s amended version proved to be disagreeable for several House conservatives.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) held a joint press conference with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) on Thursday morning before the vote to assuage the concerns of the House GOP holdouts.
&#8220;Our ambition in the Senate is we are aligned with the House in terms of what their budget resolution outlined in terms of savings,&#8221; Thune <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlwW0Zf-l9w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &#8220;The speaker has talked about one and a half trillion dollars. We have a lot of United States senators who believe that is a minimum.&#8221;
On Tuesday evening, following a meeting at the White House with House Republicans, Trump chided the Republicans who still opposed the budget framework during remarks at the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) dinner in Washington, D.C.
&#8220;Just in case there are a couple of Republicans out there: you just gotta get there. Close your eyes and get there. It’s a phenomenal bill. Stop grandstanding,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/stop-grandstanding-trump-tells-gop-holdouts-in-budget-revolt" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. He also <a href="https://grabien.com/story?id=522138" target="_blank" rel="noopener">warned</a> that those pushing for &#8220;a little bit more&#8221; would &#8220;end up getting a Democrat bill or worse.&#8221;
There had been as many as a few dozen GOP holdouts earlier in the week, but in the end, Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Victoria Spartz (R-IN) were the only House Republicans to vote against the Senate plan.
&#8220;If you were trying to hasten financial collapse of our country and bribe voters to go along with it, the strategy wouldn’t look much different than what Congress is doing today,&#8221; Massie <a href="https://x.com/RepThomasMassie/status/1910338145826091429" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a post on X. &#8220;The big beautiful bill cuts taxes while keeping spending on an increasingly unsustainable trajectory.&#8221;
Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), one of the most vocal critics among House conservatives of the Senate’s budget resolution amendment, ended up supporting it.
In a lengthy <a href="https://x.com/RepChipRoy/status/1910376175450411382" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> posted on X, Roy said he &#8220;reluctantly&#8221; voted for the resolution &#8220;on the basis of three specific commitments&#8221; related to spending cuts. He alluded to Trump&#8217;s <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114304634655292901" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stated</a> desire for more than $1 trillion in reductions as one assurance. Roy also noted the budget reconciliation effort provides &#8220;the opportunity for Congress to simply make a down payment on our $36 trillion national debt.&#8221;
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🚨 REP. ROY STATEMENT ON THE PASSAGE OF THE BUDGET RESOLUTION🚨
&quot;Today, I reluctantly voted for the Senate amendment to the House Budget Resolution on the basis of three specific commitments that form the floor for my consideration of the final reconciliation package.
First,…
&mdash; Rep. Chip Roy Press Office (@RepChipRoy) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepChipRoy/status/1910376175450411382?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 10, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Democrats who oppose the budget plan have <a href="https://x.com/HouseDemocrats/status/1909984102641512926" target="_blank" rel="noopener">warned</a> that it could lead to $880 billion in cuts to Medicaid while benefiting the wealthy.
&#8220;House Republicans want to cut $880 billion from Medicaid to pay for tax breaks for billionaires,&#8221; the House Democrats <a href="https://x.com/HouseDemocrats/status/1909984102641512926" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a post on X. &#8220;One thing is clear: The Republican Budget will leave hardworking American families worse off.&#8221;
The resolution does call on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, which oversees Medicaid, to work on reducing the deficit by at least $880 billion over the next 10 years. However, it does not have instructions that explicitly say Medicaid is a target for cutting.
&#8220;Democrats are purposefully terrifying the everyday Americans they profess to care about,&#8221; the GOP-led House Rules Committee <a href="https://x.com/RulesReps/status/1910056694236819894" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> on X. &#8220;Why? For political gain. We&#8217;d tell them to read the resolution, but they already know there isn&#8217;t any targeting of specific programs.&#8221;
A pair of Republicans, Reps. David Valadao (R-CA) and Bob Onder (R-MO), did not cast votes for the budget plan on Thursday. Rep. Donald Norcross (D-NJ), who recently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-dem-suffers-emergency-medical-event" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suffered</a> an &#8220;emergency medical event,&#8221; also did not vote. Two seats remained vacant after Reps. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) and Sylvester Turner (D-TX) died last month. Special elections are scheduled for later this year.
The White House has <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/2025/03/fact-check-president-trump-will-always-protect-social-security-medicare/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">published</a> a &#8220;fact check&#8221; page on its website highlighting Trump saying on multiple occasions that he would not mess with Medicaid, along with Medicare and Social Security, while noting that fraud and illegal immigrants would be rooted out from the system.
Before the Senate <a href="https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1191/vote_119_1_00191.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passed</a> its version of the budget framework over the weekend, it held an overnight &#8220;vote-a-rama&#8221; with several amendment votes. During that process, the upper chamber rejected a Democrat amendment to remove the section that has stoked concerns about a potential $880 billion cut to Medicaid. Three Republicans — Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), Josh Hawley (R-MO), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) — joined with Democrats and independents <a href="https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1191/vote_119_1_00189.htm#position" target="_blank" rel="noopener">voting</a> in favor of the change.
Now, with the budget framework approved by both chambers of Congress, lawmakers will work on developing legislation.
Under the budget reconciliation process, the Senate requires only a simple majority — or 51 votes — to pass whatever bill is devised, bypassing the three-fifths majority threshold needed to overcome a filibuster. Currently, the Senate GOP has a 53-47 majority.
Speaker Johnson <a href="https://x.com/SpeakerJohnson/status/1908619838915817864" target="_blank" rel="noopener">emphasized</a> in a post on X on Saturday that the budget resolution is not the law itself but only the &#8220;necessary kickoff&#8221; for the reconciliation process to begin. He said the &#8220;amended resolution in NO WAY prevents us from achieving our goals in the final reconciliation bill&#8221; and noted the process would &#8220;involve input from all Members and will keep us on track to send a bill to the President’s desk by Memorial Day.&#8221;
The White House released a policy <a href="https://x.com/WHOMB/status/1910050176787526124" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> that said Trump&#8217;s administration &#8220;strongly supports&#8221; the Senate plan, which it linked to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) effort.
&#8220;President Trump has demonstrated through numerous concrete actions his firm commitment to cutting wasteful spending,&#8221; the statement said. &#8220;This resolution aligns with his mission by paving the way for historic cuts to root out rampant waste, fraud, and abuse across the Federal Government, while responsibly addressing the debt extension.&#8221;

Speaker Mike Johnson and President Trump

Trump Scores ‘Big, Beautiful’ Victory With House Budget Vote

Chip Roy

On Tuesday evening, President Donald Trump told House Republican holdouts to &#8220;stop grandstanding&#8221; and support a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/speaker-johnson-backs-senate-budget-plan-key-trump-one-big-beautiful-bill" target="_blank" rel="noopener">budget plan</a> that lays the groundwork for his &#8220;one big, beautiful bill.&#8221;
Trump spoke at the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) dinner in Washington, D.C.
&#8220;We had a great meeting today. I think we are there. But just in case there are a couple of Republicans out there: you just gotta get there. Close your eyes and get there. It’s a phenomenal bill. Stop grandstanding,&#8221; Trump said.
He also <a href="https://grabien.com/story?id=522138" target="_blank" rel="noopener">argued</a>: “If we slash taxes on American workers and producers, our economy will soar, jobs will surge, manufacturing will boom, and our country will prosper like never ever before. We got to get this big, beautiful deal done, we got to get it done. And get it done now, don’t wait two weeks. Don’t wait two weeks. Bad things happen. Crazy things happen in politics, just get the damn thing done and stop showboating. A couple of people want to — sir, we got to get a little bit more. A little bit more? You know what you’re going to get? You end up getting nothing. You end up getting a Democrat bill or worse.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Trump tells Republicans to &#39;close their eyes and stop grandstanding&#39; and vote for his budget bill <a href="https://t.co/eUm3ucv8DF">pic.twitter.com/eUm3ucv8DF</a>
&mdash; FactPost (@factpostnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/factpostnews/status/1909758702543831411?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 9, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Trump’s comments at the NRCC dinner followed a White House meeting with House Republicans where they discussed the amended budget reconciliation framework passed by the GOP-led Senate that seeks to extend the 2017 tax cuts set to expire this year, raise the debt ceiling by $5 trillion, and increase spending on border security and defense.
The resolution, which must be accepted by both chambers of Congress in order for committees to draft actual legislation under the reconciliation process, also includes several billion dollars in spending reductions — far less than the over $2 trillion goal in the plan narrowly <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trumps-one-big-beautiful-budget-vision-clears-house-in-massive-victory-for-mike-johnson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">approved</a> by the House in February.
While the <a href="https://x.com/AndrewDesiderio/status/1905623315378471013" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Byrd Rule</a> constrained the Senate to focus solely on fiscal measures like extending tax cuts and raising the debt ceiling while stripping out non-budgetary provisions, the gap in spending-reduction targets has frustrated some House Republicans, who might join Democrats to derail the resolution.
Despite pressure from Trump, not all House conservatives have been swayed.
POLITICO <a href="https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/04/08/congress/inside-the-white-house-budget-meeting-00279295" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that Rep. Ron Estes (R-KS) said after the White House meeting on Tuesday that he would support the Senate version of the blueprint, but Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) remained unmoved after attending.
“Why am I voting on a budget based on promises that I don’t believe are going to materialize?&#8221; Roy said.
The Hill <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5239012-trump-budget-resolution-house-conservatives-johnson/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a> that Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN), another conservative who opposes the Senate-backed budget resolution, said he would be &#8220;surprised&#8221; if the framework as amended made it to the House floor for a vote.
&#8220;There’s so many ‘no’ votes. It’s 30, 40. And what typically happens in this type of scenario, when you hit a critical mass, suddenly more people go ahead and vote their conscience. And so 30 can easily become 50,&#8221; he said, adding, &#8220;It&#8217;s nowhere close.&#8221;
Under the budget reconciliation process, the Senate requires only a simple majority — or 51 votes — to pass a bill, bypassing the three-fifths majority threshold needed to overcome a filibuster. Currently, the Senate GOP has a 53-47 majority.
If enough House Republicans rebel, the budget reconciliation process could grind to a halt. House GOP leadership can afford to lose a few Republicans if all Democrats oppose the resolution. Currently, there are 220 Republicans and 213 Democrats in the lower chamber.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) <a href="https://x.com/SpeakerJohnson/status/1909741652974903589" target="_blank" rel="noopener">emphasized</a> in a press conference on Tuesday that the Senate framework &#8220;makes no changes to the reconciliation instructions that we put into the budget resolution.&#8221; He also stressed that the House and Senate need to work collaboratively to pass a final bill.
&#8220;You&#8217;re going to see the Republican Party in both chambers working together as one team,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I know that&#8217;s a rare occasion, and people don&#8217;t really know what that looks like, but we&#8217;re actually going to do it this time. The House is not going to participate in an us-versus-them charade.&#8221;
During his NRCC speech, Trump urged Republicans to stick together as he unleashes &#8220;Liberation Day&#8221; tariffs on foreign countries in an effort to secure more favorable trade relationships for the United States.
&#8220;House Republicans have a chance this week to bring trillions and trillions of dollars pouring back into America by pushing forward with the largest tax cuts in American history, which is what you&#8217;re working on right now,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://x.com/RealAmVoice/status/1909768911140110436" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
He later took aim at Republicans who have moved to rein in his tariff authority, which <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-vows-to-veto-senate-bill-targeting-tariff-authority" target="_blank" rel="noopener">prompted</a> a veto threat.
&#8220;These countries are calling us up, kissing my ass,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://x.com/theblaze/status/1909768502954590667" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &#8220;They are dying to make a deal. &#8216;Please, please sir, make a deal. I&#8217;ll do anything. I&#8217;ll do anything, sir!&#8217; And then I&#8217;ll see some rebel Republican, you know, some guy who wants to grandstand, says, &#8216;I think that Congress should take over negotiations.&#8217; Let me tell you: you don&#8217;t negotiate like I negotiate. Congress takes over negotiating — sell America fast because you&#8217;re going to go busted.&#8221;

‘Stop Grandstanding,’ Trump Tells GOP Holdouts In Budget Revolt

Tariffs

Nearly two dozen Republican governors conveyed their approval to President Donald Trump for a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/speaker-johnson-backs-senate-budget-plan-key-trump-one-big-beautiful-bill" target="_blank" rel="noopener">budget plan</a> that lays the groundwork for his &#8220;one big, beautiful bill.&#8221;
In a <a href="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Gov-Letter-to-President-Trump.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a> dated Monday, the governors expressed gratitude to Trump for supporting an amended budget reconciliation resolution. Having passed the GOP-led Senate, it is now advancing toward a vote in the Republican-controlled House. Once finalized, the resolution will enable Congress to proceed with legislation aimed at realizing Trump’s domestic priorities.
&#8220;We, like you, understand that more must be done to fully implement the agenda for which millions of Americans voted to see realized,&#8221; the governors said. &#8220;In particular, Congress must deliver to your desk a reconciliation bill that reinforces your executive actions and codifies in permanent law policies to secure the border, unleash American energy, restore military supremacy, fight wasteful spending, prevent a debilitating tax hike on working class Americans, and prevent a debt default.&#8221;
Early Saturday, the GOP-led Senate passed its <a href="https://www.budget.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/senate_amendment_h_con_res_14.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">version</a> of the budget reconciliation <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trumps-one-big-beautiful-budget-vision-clears-house-in-massive-victory-for-mike-johnson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">framework</a>, which seeks to extend the 2017 tax cuts set to expire this year, raise the debt ceiling by $5 trillion, and increase spending on border security and defense. It also includes several billion dollars in spending reductions — far less than the over $2 trillion goal in the plan narrowly <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trumps-one-big-beautiful-budget-vision-clears-house-in-massive-victory-for-mike-johnson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">approved</a> by the House in February.
While the <a href="https://x.com/AndrewDesiderio/status/1905623315378471013" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Byrd Rule</a> constrained the Senate&#8217;s budget resolution to focus solely on fiscal measures like extending tax cuts and raising the debt ceiling while stripping out non-budgetary provisions, the gap in spending-reduction targets has frustrated some House Republicans, who might join Democrats to derail the resolution.
The Senate plan is &#8220;unserious and disappointing,&#8221; House Budget Committee Chair Jodey Arrington (R-TX) <a href="https://budget.house.gov/press-release/chairman-arrington-statement-on-reconciliation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a statement, arguing that it would create &#8220;$5.8 trillion in new costs and a mere $4 billion in enforceable cuts, less than one day’s worth of borrowing by the federal government&#8221; while setting &#8220;a dangerous precedent by direct scoring tax policy without including enforceable offsets.&#8221;
In a <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114298964268045690" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post</a> on Truth Social, Trump said, the Senate version had his &#8220;Complete and Total Endorsement and Support.&#8221;
He added: &#8220;All of the elements we need to secure the Border, enact Historic Spending Cuts, and make Tax Cuts PERMANENT, and much more, are strongly covered and represented in the Bill. Thank you to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, and House Speaker Mike Johnson for their hard work and attention to detail. There is no better time than now to get this Deal DONE! The House, the Senate, and our Great Administration, are going to work tirelessly on creating &#8216;THE ONE, BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL,&#8217; an appropriate name if Congress so likes. Everyone is going to be happy with the result. Passage will make, even the subject of World Trade, far easier and better for the U.S.A. THE HOUSE MUST PASS THIS BUDGET RESOLUTION, AND QUICKLY — MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!&#8221;
Arkansas Governor Sarah Sanders, a former Trump spokeswoman, joined Indiana Governor Mike Braun, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, and 18 other Republican governors in assuring Trump they have his back on this issue.
&#8220;We are on your side in supporting the Senate amendment to the House budget resolution because we know that failure cannot be an option,&#8221; the governors said. &#8220;The Democrats’ open border policies created a deadly flood of illegal immigrants in all our states. Inflation and punishing energy regulations have siphoned money from the pocketbooks of families. Without an extension of your Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, taxpayers will suffer a multi-trillion-dollar tax hike.&#8221;

Trump and Gov. Sarah Sanders

‘Congress Must Deliver’: Republican Governors Stand With Trump On Senate Budget Resolution

Red States

A Democrat lawmaker in the House has been hospitalized in North Carolina after suffering an &#8220;emergency medical event,&#8221; his office announced on Monday.
The news about Rep. Donald Norcross (D-NJ), who has been part of the lower chamber for a little more than a decade, comes ahead of what may be a close vote on a resolution for the budget reconciliation process.
&#8220;Congressman Donald Norcross was traveling over the weekend and suffered an emergency medical event likely related to his gallbladder,&#8221; the lawmaker&#8217;s office <a href="https://norcross.house.gov/press-releases?ID=56419DD0-13B6-404A-B427-4CE653218649" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &#8220;He was admitted to UNC Rex Hospital in North Carolina on Sunday and is in stable condition, where he is receiving exceptional medical treatment.&#8221;
The statement added: &#8220;He is currently in good spirits and wants to thank the doctors, nurses, and support staff at UNC Rex Hospital for all their work on his behalf during his stay. When the Congressman is medically cleared to fly, he will be transferred back home to Cooper University Health Care in the coming days to complete his recovery.&#8221;
It&#8217;s not clear when Norcross, 66, plans to return to Washington, D.C., nor is it certain he will participate in a vote on a Senate-passed budget plan laying the groundwork for President Donald Trump&#8217;s domestic priorities that is <a href="https://x.com/meredithllee/status/1909335967200059672" target="_blank" rel="noopener">expected</a> to happen on Wednesday.
Attendance for Democrats could be instrumental, as some Republicans have <a href="https://x.com/haleytalbotcnn/status/1909324455932731613" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> they would oppose the resolution that was approved by the upper chamber last week.
&#8220;It is essential that House Democrats are present with maximum attendance for what is anticipated to be a close vote on Wednesday,&#8221; Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) <a href="https://x.com/CraigCaplan/status/1909342907007455524" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a letter to members of his caucus on Monday.
Currently, <a href="https://pressgallery.house.gov/member-data/party-breakdown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">there are</a> 220 Republicans and 213 Democrats in the House after Republicans Jimmy Patronis and Randy Fine were sworn in last week following their special election victories in Florida. GOP leaders can afford to lose only a few votes from their caucus if all Democrats oppose the measure.
Two Democrats in the House who died this year have yet to be replaced. Last month, Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrat-congressman-raul-grijalva-dies-of-cancer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passed away</a> at 77 following a battle with cancer shortly after Rep. Sylvester Turner (D-TX) <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/texas-democrat-dies-shortly-after-attending-trumps-speech-to-congress" target="_blank" rel="noopener">died</a> at the age of 70. A primary special election in Arizona is set for mid-July and a general special election has been slated for <a href="https://www.fec.gov/updates/arizona-special-election-reporting-7th-congressional-district-2025/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">September 23</a>. The special election to fill the seat left by Turner has been <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/texas-gov-greg-abbott-sets-november-special-election-open-house-seat-rcna200116" target="_blank" rel="noopener">scheduled</a> for November 4.
Other bills slated for votes this week — after Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/speaker-johnson-makes-a-deal-with-luna-over-proxy-voting-rules-for-new-parents" target="_blank" rel="noopener">resolved</a> a proxy voting dispute — include measures to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-to-vote-on-restraining-nationwide-injunctions-stop-judicial-overreach-against-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">limit</a> nationwide injunctions and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-to-again-vote-on-bill-requiring-voters-prove-citizenship" target="_blank" rel="noopener">require</a> proof of United States citizenship for federal election voters.

Rep. Donald Norcross (D-NJ)

House Dem Suffers ‘Emergency Medical Event’

Democrats

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