Washington — House Republicans cleared a key hurdle on Tuesday on a budget proposal that would unlock President Trump’s legislative agenda after a handful of members expressed opposition to the package.
The House approved the rule governing debate over the resolution in a 217-211 party-line vote, teeing up a potential final vote later in the day. Only one Republican member did not vote. There were four Democrats absent.
House Speaker Mike Johnson earlier Tuesday doubted whether a final vote would happen given the math. Several holdouts who voted to advance the resolution are still against its final adoption. If attendance remains the same as the procedural vote, Republican leaders can afford to lose two votes.
“There may be a vote tonight, there may not be,” Johnson said earlier Tuesday.
Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, has been racing to move forward with the budget resolution, a crucial step in the budget reconciliation process that Republicans plan to use to enact Mr. Trump’s priorities on border security, energy and taxes. After delays due to House Republican infighting, Senate Republicans moved forward with a competing plan earlier this month. But Johnson won a key victory last week when Mr. Trump endorsed his chamber’s budget outline.
“There’s always more work to do right up to the end for a big vote like this and this is a big one,” Johnson said. “We’re very, very close.”
The House GOP budget plan includes $4.5 trillion in tax cuts and calls for at least $1.5 trillion in spending cuts while raising the debt ceiling by $4 trillion. If House committees don’t achieve at least $2 trillion in spending cuts, then tax cuts would be scaled back in an amendment to the resolution that was made to appease conservatives.
With a 218-215 majority, Johnson can afford to lose just one vote if all members are present and voting. He told reporters Monday that he had spoken with one holdout, Rep. Victoria Spartz of Indiana, and had left a voicemail for another, Rep. Tom Massie of Kentucky.
But that evening, Massie posted on X, “If the Republican budget passes, the deficit gets worse, not better.” Elon Musk replied, “That sounds bad.” Then, Spartz, who has already pledged to oppose the budget bill, answered Massie, writing: “The situation is much worse than it sounds @RepThomasMassie and @elonmusk – we are going to accumulate $24T of additional debt on top of $36T we already have … reaching $60 TRILLION!”
Rep. Tim Burchett, a Tennessee Republican, told reporters Tuesday he is still a “no.” Burchett confirmed he had a call with Mr. Trump and Johnson around the time of the procedural vote.
“I just need some commitments on spending,” Burchett said.
House Democrats widely oppose the measure, and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries wrote a letter to his caucus on Monday telling them “it’s imperative that we are present with maximum attendance.” Jeffries, a New York Democrat, instructed lawmakers to appear on the Capitol steps Tuesday afternoon to demonstrate the budget resolution. When the caucus gathered on the steps, Jeffries said House Democrats would not “provide a single vote to this reckless Republican budget.”
“They will not get a single Democratic vote. Why? Because we are voting with the American people,” Jeffries said. He said Democrats are opposed to potential cuts to Medicaid, nutritional assistance and veterans benefits that could be pursued in the budget reconciliation process.
The resolution tasks relevant committees with finding billions of dollars in cuts, some of which could target Medicaid, which has prompted concern among some Republicans, especially in swing districts.
GOP Rep. Nicole Malliotakis of New York, was among the Republicans worried about Medicaid cuts, but she met with Johnson Monday and said he assured her that Medicaid recipients would not removed from the rolls “unless they are not fulfilling the work requirements, and they’re not citizens.”
House Republican leadership refuted the Medicaid concerns on Tuesday, arguing that the GOP shouldn’t believe what they say is a Democratic talking point. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer urged that the budget resolution “merely unlocks the opportunity for committees to begin drafting legislation,” calling it a “blueprint to save America.” And House Majority Leader Steve Scalise stressed that Medicaid isn’t specifically mentioned in the budget resolution, noting that the vote is simply one to begin the reconciliation process.
Still, Johnson wouldn’t commit to preserving Medicaid in its entirety as the reconciliation process continues.
“Medicaid is hugely problematic because it has a lot of fraud, waste and abuse,” Johnson said, when asked whether there could be cuts to the program down the line. “What we’re talking about is rooting out the fraud, waste and abuse.”
The developments come after the Senate adopted its budget late last week, while the House was away on recess. Since Mr. Trump’s endorsement of the House resolution, Senate Republicans have billed their own budget plan as a backup. The Senate plan would divide the reconciliation process into two bills, with the first aimed at quickly delivering resources for border security and defense, while a later bill would tackle the tax priorities. Senate Republicans also want to make the tax cuts permanent, which the House version does not do.