Senate Republicans are forging ahead with their budget plan next week as Hill skepticism persists that Speaker Mike Johnson will be able to unify his conference around one mammoth bill.
There’s a lot of movement — here’s where things stand:
The House: GOP leaders are still stalled on a plan, and Republicans are getting antsy. To help break things loose, a group of Republicans will travel to the White House later this morning to meet with President Donald Trump about their budget plans. He’s been reluctant to wade into intra-GOP agenda disputes so far; we’ll see if that changes.
The meeting comes as House chairs start to consider other options for parts of their agenda — including the costly and ultra-complex tax package — our colleagues Benjamin Guggenheim and Meredith Lee Hill report. They’re now considering a short term tax-cut proposal, which would allow Republicans to contain some costs and satisfy some hard-liner demands. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Fox Business that he wants permanent cuts, not an extension, as Republicans are discussing.
Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith, the House’s top tax writer, is unhappy about Graham moving first: “It’s kind of unfortunate that he’s going to go through a practice that doesn’t accomplish anything.”
At least one conservative appears to be optimistic about this week’s progress, as leadership signals they’re looking for at least $1 trillion in cuts (though senior House Republicans are skeptical they can meet that goal). Rep. Ralph Norman, a key Freedom Caucus and Budget Committee member, said that a budget blueprint could be released by the end of the week.
The Senate: “It’s time for the Senate to move,” Budget Committee Chair Lindsey Graham told reporters after emerging from a closed-door conference meeting Wednesday in which he walked Republicans through his fiscal blueprint. Republicans are hoping to vote on it in committee next week.
The resolution is expected to include roughly $150 billion for border security and a similar “range” for defense spending, Graham said. Senate Armed Services is expected to be tasked with coming up with the spending for the military, while Senate Homeland Security and Judiciary will tackle the border spending. Senators plan to tackle tax priorities in a second bill.
Republican senators will be at a private Mar-a-Lago dinner with Trump on Friday, where they plan to discuss budget reconciliation.
What else we’re watching:
- Prayer breakfast: Trump is headed to Statutory Hall at 8 a.m. for the National Prayer Breakfast, which Johnson will host.
- Benjamin Netanyahu heads to Congress: The Israeli prime minister will arrive on the Hill amid Republican skepticism and Democratic criticism of Trump’s call to “take over” Gaza and relocate Palestinians. He’s meeting Senate Majority Leader John Thune at 10 a.m. and Johnson at 1:25 p.m.
- Trump’s trade guy: Jamieson Greer, Trump’s pick to be the next U.S. trade representative, will face questions about the president’s dizzying set of actions on trade and tariffs over the past week at his Senate confirmation hearing Thursday morning. Greer served as chief of staff to Trump’s first-term USTR Robert Lighthizer and played a role in transforming the U.S. trading relationship with China.
- Vought vote: Senate Democrats are running out the debate clock on Vought’s OMB nomination and plan to vote unanimously against his confirmation Thursday evening, as Schumer faces rising pressure from within his party to counter Trump however possible. It won’t matter — Republicans are poised to push Vought through.
Meredith Lee Hill, Jordain Carney, Benjamin Guggenheim, Katherine Tully-McManus and Ari Hawkins contributed to this report.
