Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and House Republican leaders late Thursday night announced that a budget resolution had advanced out of the Budget Committee.
The vote of 21-16 after a daylong session sends the budget blueprint to the full House, NBC News reported.
The resolution outlines a $1.5 trillion floor for spending cuts across committees with a target of $2 trillion, a $4.5 trillion cap on the deficit impact of the Republicans’ plan to extend Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, and $300 billion in additional spending for the border and defense. It also increases the debt limit by $4 trillion, The Hill reported.
"The budget resolution has passed through committee and House Republicans have now cleared a critical hurdle to delivering on the major priorities of President Trump’s America First agenda," said a statement from Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., and Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain, R-Mich.
"From the outset of this process, we sought to ensure participation from every member of our conference and make clear that this resolution reflects our collective commitment to enacting the President’s full agenda — not just a part of it."
Republicans, with a 218-215 chamber majority, will need to remain unified to approve it.
"It’s time to meet this generational moment and join President Trump in making the tough decisions that preserve our republic for our children and grandchildren. This is our last, best shot to do it. This is the only comprehensive deal Congress has on the table to get the job done. Let’s get to work!" Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, said in a statement.
House Republicans have focused on developing one bill to tackle national security, immigration, taxes and other items on the president's agenda.
Senate Republicans, though, have said they prefer a two-pronged approach: immediate funding for the southern border while other budgetary concerns are addressed.
House conservatives have sought major financial cuts in the legislation.
"Today I voted to report the Chairman’s FY25 Budget Resolution out of the Budget Committee. I did so with reservations due to the urgency of our current debt crisis and my concern that there is insufficient resolve in Congress to address that crisis, thus leaving Americans with the devastating tax of inflation and high interest rates," Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, said in a statement.
"Yet the bill would — if adopted by Republicans on the House floor — represent an historic level of spending reductions paired with extension and expansion of President Trump’s tax policies and would take a significant step down the path to fiscal sanity while simultaneously delivering on critical portions of President Trump's agenda."
The Budget Committee’s approval Thursday night was just "the start of the process," according to the House GOP leadership.
"We remain laser-focused on ultimately sending a bill to President Trump’s desk which, among other things, secures the border, keeps taxes low for families and job creators, restores American energy dominance, and makes government work better for all Americans," the Republican leaders said.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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