House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., says he's forging ahead with a plan to have the chamber vote on the Senate's budget resolution on Wednesday, despite not yet having the votes to pass it. The intra-party dispute is a litmus test not only of the strength of Johnson's speakership but also of the conference's loyalty to President Trump.
The Senate passed a budget framework in the early hours on Saturday, a critical step in unlocking a legislative path forward for much of Trump's agenda. In order to advance, both chambers have to get on board with the same resolution.
But GOP members left a weekly conference meeting Tuesday saying they don't think they have the votes to pass the resolution, with deficit hawks and fiscal conservatives arguing the Senate version doesn't include enough spending cuts alongside tax cuts.
"The Senate budget does not reduce deficits. The Senate budget would increase deficits," Texas Rep. Chip Roy, a member of the House Freedom caucus, told reporters. "The Senate needs to produce a plan to us with seriousness and resolve to reduce deficits. I'm tired of the fake math in the swamp."
Johnson can only afford to lose three lawmakers. Larger opposition threatens Republican plans to use a budget tool called reconciliation to pass items like increasing spending on border security and extending the tax cuts from the first Trump administration, which expire at the end of the year.
Lawmakers from across the party have opposed the Senate resolution, from Freedom Caucus members to Pennsylvania Rep. Lloyd Smucker to House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington, who called the resolution "unserious and disappointing."
Their objections range from philosophical differences over how much to reduce the deficit by, to concerns about the programs that could be affected in the process. For example, the House-passed resolution from February directs the Energy and Commerce Committee to find $880 billion in savings. That committee has jurisdiction over spending for programs like Medicaid, and various GOP members and senators have already said they won't support such steep cuts to a popular social safety net program.
Johnson tried to rally members on Tuesday, making the pitch that the House can still achieve historic spending reductions in the final bill.
"The budget resolution is not the law, okay? All this does is it allows us to continue the process, begin drafting the actual legislation that really counts," he said at a press conference at the Capitol.
"The House is not going to participate in an us versus them charade," he added. "To secure and accomplish our mission, we've got to be working together."
Johnson's goal is to get the final bill to President Trump's desk by Memorial Day.
A group of House Republicans is scheduled to visit the White House Tuesday afternoon. But several of the most outspoken opponents of the Senate resolution said they either weren't invited to the meeting or declined to attend.
Trump, who has previously helped whip support among GOP holdouts for his priorities, hasn't minced words on what he wants the House to do.
"THE HOUSE MUST PASS THIS BUDGET RESOLUTION, AND QUICKLY," he posted on social media Monday night.
It's possible the proposed midweek vote could be shifted to later this week if GOP House leadership can't get the votes in time for Wednesday.
Copyright 2025 NPR
