In a significant win for President Donald Trump, the House of Representatives passed a budget plan early Thursday morning. This budget, supported by the Republican majority, aims to align with Trump’s domestic priorities and is seen as a crucial step toward his legislative goals. The plan faced some pushback from conservative members of the GOP who wanted deeper cuts in spending.
The resolution, which has already been approved by the Senate, sets the stage for lawmakers to create new legislation using the budget reconciliation process. After lengthy negotiations with dissenting House Republicans, the final vote saw 216 Republicans supporting the measure, while all Democrats and two Republicans opposed it.
President Trump quickly celebrated the House’s decision, calling it a historic moment on Truth Social. He claimed the bill would lead to the largest tax and regulation cuts ever proposed. The resolution aims to extend tax cuts from 2017, raise the debt ceiling by $5 trillion, and boost funding for border security and defense. However, it includes only modest spending reductions, falling short of the more than $2 trillion cuts initially sought by some Republicans.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson held a press conference to address concerns about the budget’s spending goals. Thune emphasized the Senate’s commitment to aligning with the House’s vision for spending cuts, suggesting that a minimum of $1.5 trillion in savings is necessary.
Trump also addressed House Republicans directly at a dinner, urging them to support the budget plan. He warned that holding out for more cuts could lead to a compromise that would favor Democrats instead.
Despite earlier resistance from a larger group of GOP members, only two Republicans ultimately voted against the plan: Representatives Thomas Massie and Victoria Spartz. Massie criticized the budget, suggesting it could lead to financial instability while providing tax cuts without addressing spending issues.
Democrats have voiced strong opposition to the budget, arguing that it could result in significant cuts to Medicaid, potentially amounting to $880 billion, while benefiting wealthy individuals. They claim the budget prioritizes tax breaks for billionaires over support for working families.
The resolution does call for the House Committee on Energy and Commerce to find ways to reduce the deficit by $880 billion over the next decade, but it does not specifically target Medicaid for cuts.
The White House has pushed back against concerns about Medicaid cuts, stating that Trump has consistently promised to protect programs like Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security.
Now that both chambers of Congress have approved the budget framework, lawmakers will begin crafting specific legislation. Using the budget reconciliation process, the Senate can pass the final bill with a simple majority, bypassing the usual requirement for a supermajority to overcome a filibuster. Currently, Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate.
Speaker Johnson highlighted that this budget resolution is just the first step in a longer process. He assured that there would be opportunities for input from all members as they work toward a final bill to send to the President by Memorial Day. The White House has expressed strong support for the Senate’s plan, linking it to efforts to cut wasteful spending across the government.