Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) mentioned Sunday he expects to cross President-elect Trump’s agenda by means of one huge reconciliation bundle earlier than Memorial Day.
In an interview on Fox Information’s “Sunday Morning Futures,” Johnson reiterated that Republicans will attempt to pack in as many coverage objects as attainable into a big reconciliation invoice, which might keep away from the 60-vote threshold essential to cross most laws within the Senate.
Reconciliation laws requires a easy majority, or 50 votes, within the higher chamber.
“We’re 15 days out from the inauguration of President Donald J. Trump for his second term. And we want to make sure that we’re jump-starting the agenda now over the next two weeks, so that he’s prepared and ready on day one,” Johnson mentioned. “We have a lot to do, as you know. And we have been putting all the plays together and figuring out the sequence of how we’re going to run those plays. And we’re really excited about it.”
“At the end of the day, President Trump is going to prefer, as he likes to say, one big, beautiful bill. And there’s a lot of merit to that, because we can put it all together, one big up-or-down vote, which can save the country, quite literally, because there are so many elements to it. And it’ll give us a little bit more time to negotiate that and get it right,” he mentioned.
Johnson mentioned there are some “low-hanging fruit” payments, together with those who would tackle the border, that he’ll placed on the ground instantly for a vote. However immigration and deportation insurance policies may even be included within the reconciliation bundle, Johnson mentioned, as will tax cuts and power allowing reform.
Johnson mentioned Trump additionally requested that the debt ceiling be handled earlier than June.
“I think we’re going to have to do it in that bill,” Johnson mentioned about elevating or eliminating the debt ceiling.
Requested for a “realistic timeline” on getting the big invoice by means of to the president’s desk, Johnson mentioned that may occur “certainly by May, yes.”
He mentioned Republicans are “targeting a vote in the House maybe in the first week of April,” including that vote could come “maybe as soon as April 3, and then move it over to the Senate.”
“That would put that bill on the president’s desk for signature by the end of April. That would be fantastic,” Johnson mentioned. “And, in a worst-case scenario, Memorial Day.”
Johnson mentioned he hopes addressing many legislative priorities in a single invoice will scale back the chance of shedding members’ help.
“A lot of moving pieces, a lot of things to negotiate, a lot of opinions on all that, so we will be working long, long hours with whiteboards, making sure every Republican is on board, because, remember, I will be dealing with the smallest margin in U.S. history for much of the first 100 days. But we’re going to get it done.”
