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

Budget

Congress

Donald Trump

Politics

Spending Bill

U.S. House of Representatives

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.
Morning Wire is available on video! You can watch today’s episode here:
 
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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;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
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>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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

Dan Crenshaw

gender ideology

House of Representatives

transgender surgery

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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&nbsp;
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

Mike Johnson

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>
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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;

President Trump

‘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

On Saturday, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) urged the House to pass a Senate budget plan to lay the groundwork for President Donald Trump&#8217;s domestic priorities, despite objections from members of his caucus who protest its lack of enforceable spending cuts.
In a letter to colleagues, Johnson and other House GOP leaders <a href="https://x.com/liz_elkind/status/1908564880010936346" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> the lower chamber will consider the Senate blueprint for reconciliation, insisting that voting on the resolution is a key step toward devising a bill in the weeks ahead.
&#8220;Adopting the Senate’s amendment to the House resolution will allow us to finally begin the most important phase of this process: drafting the reconciliation bill that will deliver on President Trump&#8217;s agenda and our promises to the American people,&#8221; they said, stressing later that it makes &#8220;NO CHANGES&#8221; to the reconciliation instructions previously approved by the House.
Early in the morning on 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> by a 51-48 <a href="https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1191/vote_119_1_00191.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">vote</a> following an overnight &#8220;vote-a-rama&#8221; with several amendment votes.
In line with Trump&#8217;s push for &#8220;one big, beautiful bill,&#8221; the resolution aims to extend tax cuts from 2017 that are set to expire this year, increase the debt ceiling by $5 trillion, and boost border as well defense spending. It also locks in several billion dollars in spending reductions, but that amount is far less than the more than $2 trillion goal tucked into 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.
Some deficit hawks in the House have spoken out against how the Senate revised the resolution they had supported in its earlier form.
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 post on X, Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD) <a href="https://x.com/RepAndyHarrisMD/status/1908518640317530615" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> he could support the Senate budget resolution if it can &#8220;deliver real deficit reduction&#8221; in line with the goals outlined in the House plan.
&#8220;However, by the Senate setting committee instructions so low at $4 billion compared to the House’s $1.5-2 trillion, I am unconvinced that will happen,&#8221; Harris added. &#8220;The Senate is free to put pen to paper to draft its reconciliation bill, but I can’t support House passage of the Senate changes to our budget resolution until I see the actual spending and deficit reduction plans to enact President Trump’s America First agenda.&#8221;
If enough members of the GOP caucus 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.
Johnson <a href="https://x.com/SpeakerJohnson/status/1908619838915817864" target="_blank" rel="noopener">emphasized</a> in a post on X that the budget resolution is not the law itself but only the &#8220;necessary kickoff&#8221; for the reconciliation process to begin. &#8220;Time is of the essence,&#8221; he added.
&#8220;Although the Senate chose to take a different approach on its instructions, the amended resolution in NO WAY prevents us from achieving our goals in the final reconciliation bill,&#8221; Johnson <a href="https://x.com/SpeakerJohnson/status/1908619838915817864" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &#8220;We have and will continue to make it clear in all discussions with the Senate and the White House that — in order to secure House passage — the final reconciliation bill must include historic spending reductions while protecting essential programs.&#8221;
Following &#8220;close consultation&#8221; with Trump and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), &#8220;we all agree that the &#8216;One Big Beautiful Bill&#8217; must be drafted using a collaborative process that results in a single product that can be passed by both chambers and signed into law,&#8221; Johnson said.
&#8220;We have made it clear the House will NOT accept nor participate in an &#8216;us versus them&#8217; process resulting in a take-it-or-leave-it proposition from the Senate,&#8221; the speaker noted. &#8220;As soon as we pass the final budget resolution, our House and Senate committees will begin preparing together their respective titles of the reconciliation bill to be marked up in the next work period. As always, this will involve input from all Members and will keep us on track to send a bill to the President’s desk by Memorial Day.&#8221;

Speaker Mike Johnson

Amid GOP Revolt, House Speaker Backs Senate Budget Plan As Key To Trump’s ‘One Big, Beautiful Bill’

U.S. Senate

<h3>Slashing Federal Spending: The Numbers So Far</h3>
In a sweeping effort to cut waste, the Elon Musk-led DOGE initiative has identified $105 billion in potential savings, largely from lease terminations, contract cancellations, and workforce reductions. The government has already terminated 748 leases, saving $468 million annually, and is set to shed a quarter of its 360 million square feet of federal real estate.
In a recent episode of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/podcasts/morning-wire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Morning Wire</a>, Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief John Bickley sat down with the Government Accountability Institute’s Eric Eggers, co-host of “<a href="https://thedrilldown.com/?utm_source=googlegrant&amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjwp8--BhBREiwAj7og1_0xdgsI4S9MyrRTJXF7PySBtYxy570busOI9NnJksvoQ_ia0RJBBhoCeGIQAvD_BwE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Drill Down with Peter Schweizer</a>,” to discuss the accomplishments of DOGE and the headwinds it faces in the coming months. 
<h3>1. How much has DOGE actually accomplished so far?</h3>
Eric Eggers: “If we’re talking dollars and cents, DOGE has identified $105 billion in savings — cutting federal leases, canceling contracts, and eliminating wasteful spending. The federal government is targeting a 63% reduction in the Public Building Services division, and one agency alone — USAID — has seen 83% of its programs cut. That’s tens of billions of dollars in savings.”
<h3>2. How has X and social media changed the conversation on government waste?</h3>
Eggers: “The Trump administration has become the most radically transparent administration in recent memory. Before, legacy media controlled the narrative. The American people are now seeing a lot of things exposed that the gatekeepers in the legacy media would have never exposed. Now, X puts out receipts in real time — like the General Services Administration buying 37,000 WinZip licenses for 13,000 employees. DOGE is making cutting spending ‘cool’ again.”
<iframe style="width: 100%; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10px;" src="https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-doge-data-musk-slashes-billions-in-government/id1576594336?i=1000699268646" height="175" frameborder="0" sandbox="allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation"></iframe>
<h3>3. What are the biggest pushbacks DOGE is facing?</h3>
Eggers: “Critics say these cuts are just a ‘drop in the bucket’ compared to the national deficit. The Supreme Court even blocked some USAID funding freezes. And now, Democrats are claiming DOGE is harming veterans, since 30% of federal workers are vets. We all saw Democrats protesting during his most recent congressional address, saying he&#8217;s a “dictator.” But at the end of the day, everything that&#8217;s being done in the name of cutting spending is being identified and posted on the DOGE website.&#8221;
<h3>4. What’s happening with federal job cuts, particularly at the IRS?</h3>
Eggers: “The IRS started this administration with about 100,000 employees. Reports say that number could be cut in half. And there was some talk about giving them weapons. The American public, however, seems to support the cuts — after all, downsizing for efficiency is standard in the private sector. Why should government be any different?”
<h3>5. What role is Elon Musk playing in all this?</h3>
Eggers: “Musk isn’t just backing DOGE financially—he’s essentially acting as its Chief Marketing Officer. By using X to put pressure on vulnerable politicians, making it harder for weak members of Congress and Trump’s coalition to resist these cuts. Musk and his team at X can take the specific examples and give them directly to the American people. That’s why this initiative has had so much success so quickly.”
<h3> * * * 
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/podcasts/morning-wire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LISTEN: Catch the full interview with Eric Eggers on Morning Wire</a>.</h3>

US-POLITICS-TRUMP

5 Questions With Eric Eggers On DOGE’s Cost-Cutting Push

Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)

DOGE

Elon Musk

Federal Government

Morning Wire

President Trump has chalked up another win.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer made noises earlier this week about the possibility of holding up a continuing resolution that would fund the government all the way until September.
It was unclear why he was doing that. Strategically, he had no ground on which to stand because, after all, if the Democratic minority in the United States Senate decided to filibuster the continuing resolution, there would be a government shutdown. Then, the Republicans would correctly name the Democrats as having actually created the government shutdown, at which point Schumer and the Democrats would be blamed for everything.
It was a gigantic unforced error by Schumer. Then, on Thursday, he reversed. Democrats, of course, are very upset at Schumer because they believe that it is their duty to obstruct literally everything the Republicans do.
To be fair to Schumer, this was a no-win situation.
On the one hand, if the continuing resolution goes forward, then President Trump can continue to unleash the executive branch, using DOGE to cut, slash, and burn. He has the capacity to do that because the continuing resolution says the government is going to continue to run at the same funding levels as it has previously. It did not include specific designations where funding ought to go within each department, allowing for enormous discretion inside the executive branch for President Trump to continue to allow DOGE to do its work, which Democrats hate.
On the other hand, if they&#8217;d gone into a government shutdown, then President Trump would have had the capacity to determine who is and is not an essential worker because he&#8217;s the president. And that would mean more firings.
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-2158-democrats-cave-trump-chalks-up-another-win-member-exclusive" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Ben Shapiro Show</a></h3>
So Schumer’s radical Left-wing base was very upset with him for not standing up to President Trump by filibustering the continuing resolution.
The victory was a really amazing play by Speaker Mike Johnson, who was somehow able to cobble together the entire Republican majority. There&#8217;s been a lot of talk about Speaker Johnson and the unworkable Republican majority because it&#8217;s so small. In some ways, he&#8217;s actually benefited by that, because any single vote could be the vote that sinks a Trump agenda item. And no one wants to be the House vote saying no and thereby sinking a Trump agenda item — except for Thomas Massie.
The Democrats have to show performatively that they oppose Trump even if they can&#8217;t actually obstruct his agenda in any sort of effective ways. For instance, every single Democrat has begun cursing at a higher level. That&#8217;s performative.
In an article published earlier today, Punchbowl News <a href="https://punchbowl.news/article/senate/schumer-backs-funding-measure/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a>:
<blockquote>What a mess this has become.
A government-funding fight that began with Democrats demanding restrictions on Trump, Elon Musk and DOGE has ended with Democrats folding, and now sniping bitterly at each other.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and his leadership team distanced themselves from Schumer’s decision — but didn’t name him — in a statement Thursday night. Other House Democrats took direct aim at Schumer, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). Even Sen. Patty Murray (Wash.), the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee and Schumer ally, thinks it’s a big mistake.
Let’s be blunt here: Democrats picked a fight they couldn’t win and caved without getting anything in return. … Schumer had been making those same arguments against a shutdown for days in private. Yet he let this drag out, giving Democrats a false sense of hope that the caucus was actually going to fight.</blockquote>
And Trump wins again.

Trump Wins Again

Chuck Schumer

Republicans

If you thought Democrats couldn&#8217;t possibly get any dumber, think again.
Somehow they have managed to achieve this signal feat. When it comes to the economy, President Trump is currently having some trouble, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average down significantly since he took office.
Plus, there&#8217;s a lot of concern about the possibility of a recession in the near future in the United States, despite some pretty strong economic fundamentals. Even in the polling data, President Trump is moving the wrong way in regard to the economy.
If the economy picks up or continues to truck along, it does not mean President Trump can’t heal all of that. It just means that, because of all the volatility that has been injected into the economy and all the talk about tariffs, the news about the economy is not favorable to the president right now.
Thus, there’s a clear and obvious opening for Democrats.
And yet… 
Democrats are not only not going to take advantage of the opening, but they are also, figuratively speaking, going to shoot themselves in the foot.
As a Republican, I approve.
Through the leadership of Speaker of the House Mike Johnson — no thanks to Thomas Massie — the GOP passed a continuing resolution that will fund the government until roughly September, which gives Republicans plenty of time to negotiate a budget deal amongst themselves — to come up with the one big, beautiful bill that they need to pass — and get that done without the government simply falling apart.
That&#8217;s why the government shutdown was averted by the Republicans in the House. Now, it gets passed onto the Senate, where the GOP has a majority. Rand Paul has said he&#8217;s going to vote against the continuing resolution (CR), but there&#8217;s still 52 votes in favor. Even if it got down to 50 votes, JD Vance would then break the tie in favor of the CR.
So, if you&#8217;re a Democrat at this point, you&#8217;re looking at the state of the economy, which is somewhat dicey and volatile, because you can&#8217;t predict the future there. That is their only tool to attack President Trump. What the Democrats don&#8217;t want to do is get into the business of owning the economy. Why would you want to own that if Republicans had fallen down on the job and been unable to pass a continuing resolution? They could have blamed Republicans for the shutdown.
This was the Democratic plan in the House. It&#8217;s the reason why Hakeem Jeffries instructed Democrats not to vote in favor of the so-called clean continuing resolution, which is just a maintenance of funding at current levels all the way through September. All Democrats, except for one, did not participate in the CR.
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-2157-democrats-to-shut-down-the-government-member-exclusive" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Ben Shapiro Show</a></h3>
But now the Democrats seem to want to actively kill the continuing resolution and push America into a government shutdown that they clearly will own.
That move makes no sense, politically speaking. Yesterday, <a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/government-shutdown-democrats-funding-deadline-bcb67826" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Wall Street Journal</a> reported, “Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer threw a wrench into a Republican plan to avert a government shutdown this weekend, saying there wasn’t enough Democratic support to advance the measure funding federal agencies through Sept. 30.”
You may be wondering, don&#8217;t Republicans actually have a majority in the Senate?
Yes, they do. But in order to overcome a filibuster, in order to invoke cloture, they need 60 votes.
Democrats could simply eschew filibustering. They could just say, “Fine, listen, you want to vote for the CR? Then vote for the CR.” Instead, Democrats are now actively considering filibustering a clean continuing resolution, which makes no political sense. Most Americans are just saying, “Leave us alone,” which is effectively what the CR does.
If Democrats want to throw a wrench into that for no apparent reason, then they will own any government shutdown. And if the economy turns south, then they own it. They own a big chunk of that because a government shutdown is going to throw all sorts of scares into the market.
The Journal continued:
<blockquote>Republicans “do not have the votes in the Senate,” to move the resolution forward, Schumer said on the Senate floor, indicating that his party was prepared to block it. He blamed Republicans, saying they “chose a partisan path” in their bill without any input from congressional Democrats.</blockquote>
It sure seems partisan to use your 47 votes in the United States Senate to hold up 53 votes in the Senate, simply because your base is mad at you for not standing up enough to President Trump&#8217;s agenda.
The Journal continued, writing, “As an alternative, Schumer floated a shorter-term plan that would fund the government for a month. ‘I hope my Republican colleagues will join us to avoid a shutdown on Friday,’ he said.”
Schumer is hoping the Republican coalition will fall apart in the meantime and that the economy will fall apart during that month. He&#8217;s hoping the stock market crashes in that interim month, and then he won&#8217;t be blamed no matter what happens.
But, again, what he&#8217;s doing right now makes no political sense. He is injecting Democrats into the middle of the most dicey proposition for the Trump administration.
I don&#8217;t understand any of the logic here. The first rule of politics is do not — do not — get in the way of your opponent making a mistake. Do not interrupt your enemy when your enemy is making a mistake. If the Democrats’ idea is that the Republicans own every aspect of the economy, then they have to let the Republicans own the economy. If they inject themselves into that process in order to shut down the government, they then own what comes next.
Republicans know this, which is why House Speaker Mike Johnson said the ball is in Schumer&#8217;s court.
<h3><a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP</a></h3>
The Democrats hope that funding the CR for a short term will force the Republicans to basically negotiate with Democrats. But that is not what&#8217;s going to happen. The GOP is fully willing to allow Democrats to own a government shutdown; Schumer is going to have to own it.
If you invoke a filibuster in order to own a government shutdown, you are a moron.
And what Schumer is doing here is really stupid.
It&#8217;s virtually the best-case scenario for President Trump. Let&#8217;s say Schumer does the filibuster, and the government shutdown occurs because he did the filibuster. President Trump then has the unique capacity to determine who exactly is an essential worker under federal law. At that point, he can let Elon Musk in there with the chainsaw.
They&#8217;re playing right into Trump&#8217;s hands.

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