Home Majority Chief Steve Scalise (R-La.) on Tuesday mentioned Republican leaders agreed to maneuver President Trump’s legislative agenda in a single sweeping invoice, a growth he shared with reporters after prime GOP lawmakers huddled on the White Home with the president.
The announcement from Scalise comes after weeks of debate over how one can perform Trump’s legislative want checklist, with a number of senators — together with Majority Chief John Thune (R-S.D.) — pushing for 2 payments to hold Trump’s priorities via the funds reconciliation course of as an alternative of 1, in hopes of extra rapidly enacting among the president’s agenda. Home leaders, in the meantime, advocated for a single invoice, a choice Trump mentioned he shared.
“We’re moving forward with one bill,” Scalise instructed reporters after returning to the Capitol from the White Home.
Pressed on whether or not that was the settlement, and whether or not the Senate was on board, Scalise responded: “Yeah.”
“We’re moving forward with reconciliation on one bill, we made clear about that,” he later added.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who additionally attended the White Home assembly, was extra coy, telling reporters that leaders had landed on “a plan pretty well formulated” with out delving into specifics.
“We’ve got a plan pretty well formulated now, and I’m not going to tell all of you all the details of it yet, because that’s not how this works. But the party is working in unison, the leaders in both chambers are working in a bicameral fashion and the president is all on board,” Johnson mentioned when he arrived again on the Capitol.
Pressed on whether or not Thune had agreed to 1 invoice, Johnson instructed reporters: “I’m not gonna talk about the discussions that we have, but we do have a strategy that we’re all working on together.”
“It will be bicameral, and there’s a lot of excitement about that,” the Speaker added.
Trump echoed Johnson when requested if a conclusion had been reached, telling reporters: “Pretty much, I think we have a good situation now.”
Tuesday’s assembly marked the primary formal assembly for Washington’s Republican trifecta, which was solidified after Trump was sworn in on Monday. Johnson mentioned he and Thune met with Trump and Vice President Vance within the Oval Workplace earlier than these 4 met with different leaders from each chambers within the Cupboard room.
“We talked about strategy and priorities for the Congress and where we are and where we’re headed,” he mentioned of his assembly with Trump, Thune and Vance. “A great spirit of unity, I can tell you the Republican Party is united and excited.”
The assembly got here as lawmakers work to maneuver Trump’s agenda via reconciliation on an bold timeline as Republicans grapple with an ultraslim majority within the Home.
Laws handed below funds reconciliation guidelines can’t be filibustered within the Senate, however the guidelines can solely be used a restricted variety of instances in a 12 months.
Scalise mentioned GOP leaders are nonetheless wanting on the identical timeline that was beforehand unveiled: Cross a funds decision — which unlocks the funds reconciliation course of — in February, have committees begin drafting textual content in March, then get the invoice over the end line by Easter.
“President Trump’s ready to go,” Scalise mentioned. “Here’s day one, he’s already had a meeting with congressional leadership and ready to go.”
A number of thorny points stay, nonetheless, together with how one can strategy elevating the debt restrict, how a lot to boost the deduction cap on state and native taxes and how one can make the whole bundle funds impartial, as some hard-line Republicans are demanding.
Individually, a March 14 authorities funding deadline is quick approaching, and Congress will probably have to think about catastrophe help for California within the wake of wildfires that devastated the Golden State.
Trump in feedback to reporters after the assembly with congressional leaders introduced up federal aid wanted after the wildfires in Los Angeles, arguing that it made GOP negotiations simpler and committing to “take care” of town.
“It’s been in some ways made simpler by Los Angeles because they’re going to need a lot of money. Generally speaking, I think you’ll find a lot of Democrats are going to be asking for help, so I think maybe that makes it more one-sided,” he mentioned. “We’re going to take care of Los Angeles.”
Trump final week floated the thought of together with federal help to Los Angeles as a part of an enormous reconciliation bundle, suggesting that doing so would win over some Democratic votes.
However it’s extremely unlikely that Republicans would come with wildfire help within the invoice of Trump priorities. Some Republicans have advocated for pairing the wildfire help with a debt restrict improve and common authorities funding in an effort to woo Democratic votes.
Even when help to California is in the end paired with the Trump reconciliation bundle, it’s unlikely Democrats would again the invoice since it will embrace a litany of provisions that they abhor.
Scalise mentioned leaders haven’t but decided on how one can handle the borrowing restrict — whether or not it needs to be within the reconciliation invoice or paired with one other measure — however mentioned it could possibly be included within the authorities funding invoice. He additionally mentioned congressional leaders are ready on a proper request from the Trump administration for California catastrophe help.
Within the second assembly with a wider group of GOP leaders, Trump emphasised the necessity for Republicans to remain unified as they wrangle the slim majority, which is able to quickly go away GOP leaders within the Home with nearly no room for error.
“It was more so a let’s-work-together kind of thing, and let’s accomplish some things,” mentioned Rep. Blake Moore (R-Utah), vice chair of the Home GOP.
