As Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) works around the clock to rally Republicans behind his “big beautiful” reconciliation bill, some members of the GOP are still holding out.
Ahead of the highly anticipated vote, Johnson was tasked with reeling in both moderates and fiscal conservatives who had reservations about reconciliation. Moderates in blue and purple districts felt the cuts in the budget blueprint went too far, while fiscal conservatives felt the cuts didn’t go far enough. Notably, Johnson can afford to lose only one Republican vote to get reconciliation out the door.
Despite the diversity of opinion within the Republican conference, Johnson told Blaze News that he has no intention of reaching across the aisle to get his budget proposal passed, noting that reconciliation has always been a “partisan exercise.”
‘None of us are going to get everything we want, but we will be able to pass what I think could be one of the most consequential pieces of legislation in many, many years, maybe decades.’
Still, he made some inroads, particularly among moderates, who usually acquiesce after some lobbying from the Republican leadership.
Republican Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska came out of a meeting Monday saying he felt “a little more comfort” about Johnson’s proposal. Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis of New York similarly went from leaning no on reconciliation to undecided and eventually to lean yes all in one day.
“I disagree with my colleagues,” Malliotakis said of fiscal conservatives Tuesday. “Unfortunately there are some that want to vote no on this resolution because they say it doesn’t go far enough and we need to cut more. But we need to do this with a scalpel, I’ve said this repeatedly, not a sledgehammer.”
The sledgehammer-wielding Republicans Malliotakis is referring to include the usual suspects.
As of now, Johnson remains optimistic, focusing his efforts on whipping his conference behind the budget resolution.
Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who has historically opposed many of the GOP’s spending proposals, said Monday that “if the Republican budget passes, the deficit gets worse, not better.” Republican Rep. Victoria Spartz of Indiana similarly voiced her opposition to the resolution on Sunday, citing fiscal concerns.
Republican Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee took issue with the budget proposal, saying he wanted more assurances on spending cuts and a permanent extension on President Donald Trump’s 2017 tax cuts. Republican Rep. Warren Davidson of Ohio also criticized the bill, saying there was “no path” to pass the resolution without addressing the looming funding deadline on March 14. As of now, there has been no proposed continuing resolution to avert a government shutdown before mid-March.
Although Johnson doesn’t currently have the votes on paper, he has secured major cuts in the bill with the help of past budget critics like Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, giving him a leg up in ongoing negotiations. As of now, Johnson remains optimistic, focusing his efforts on whipping his conference behind the budget resolution.
“We’re not going to have any Democrats, which means we are going to have to have every single Republican,” Johnson told Blaze News.
“I’m convinced that, at the end, it’s going to work,” Johnson added. “None of us are going to get everything we want, but we will be able to pass what I think could be one of the most consequential pieces of legislation in many, many years, maybe decades.”
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Tim burchett, Mike johnson, Reconciliation, Donald trump, Trump tax cuts, Spending cuts, House republicans, Nicole malliotakis, Don bacon, Thomas massie, Warren davidson, Chip roy, Federal deficit, House democrats, Politics