House Speaker Mike Johnson "needs to put deadlines on the reconciliation bill" or "we'll drag this on forever," Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., told Newsmax on Thursday.
"You know, we'll look like the Senate, you know, just debate and debate and debate and never do anything," Comer said on "Newsline."
"So, I support him putting deadlines on. And it's time we've done this bill the right way. You know, a lot of the members who are complaining about the bill are the ones that say we never go through regular order. This is regular order.
"We had 11 committees of jurisdiction, including my committee, the House Oversight Committee, pass different pieces of their legislative jurisdiction out of committee. We had long markups. Some of the ones, like the one in [the] Energy and Commerce [Committee], where a couple of members fell asleep that went all night.
"So, we've done it the right way. Now the bill is coming to the floor. There'll be an opportunity for people to make changes through amendments and things like that, I would assume. But at the end of the day, I think we've done what a lot of members have wanted," he added.
Tax breaks tallying more than $5 trillion — but also sizable reductions in Medicaid health care, food stamps, and green energy strategies to fight climate change — faced sharp debate as House lawmakers slogged through marathon overnight hearings on Republicans' "big, beautiful bill."
It's the biggest political and legislative debate for the Republicans leading Congress since Trump's first term, setting up a career-defining clash over the nation's priorities, all coming at a time of economic unease with Trump's trade war and other uncertainties.
Comer said that "nobody's going to get 100% of what they want.
"And I want to remind the New Yorkers that that this is a populist president, and this bill is about the working men and women of America. And I think they'll get some of what they want with SALT. But I don't think they're going to get all of what they want with SALT," he said, using the acronym for state and local tax deductions.
At its core, the goal for GOP lawmakers is to extend — and enhance — tax cuts approved in 2017, adding the president's 2024 campaign promises for no taxes on tips, Social Security income and car loan interest.
There's also a larger standard deduction, $32,000 for couples, a boost to the child tax credit, and a potentially higher cap of $30,000 on SALT that is still being negotiated.
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