Rep. Comer to Newsmax: Trump Must 'Squeeze' Some in GOP on Budget Bill

President Donald Trump will have to "squeeze" some Republican members of Congress "hard" to push through his "big, beautiful bill" on the budget, House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., agreed Wednesday on Newsmax.

"I've sent a message to President Trump," Comer told "Wake Up America" ahead of committee discussions on the legislation. "My opinion is that you're going to have to squeeze some of these Republicans."

Tuesday night, Trump told an audience in Warren, Michigan, that the bill has "just about" 100% Republican support but that it "would be nice" to have backing from some Democrats as well because "every once in a while, you have a grandstander Republican."

"We have some grandstanders," Trump added. "But once in a while, not many … but remember who those grandstanders were, and vote them the hell out of office."

Comer said that Republicans who want to be elected to Congress must be "serious about cutting wasteful spending because that's what our party stands for."

He said he agrees that it's "no fun" to make cuts, but "the can has been kicked to the end of the road on spending."

To extend Trump's tax cuts and create new ones, the House will have to come up with more than $1.5 trillion in savings, and "the House of Representatives is serious about that," Comer added.

Still, there are "seven or eight members" who have either expressed skepticism or threatened to vote against the "big, beautiful bill," and "Trump needs to continue to squeeze these members hard," said Comer.

"That's what being a Republican is all about," he said. "We've got to stick together and support the president's agenda. The president got a mandate from the American people, and it's time for Republicans in Congress to deliver."

Seven congressional committees will begin debate on Wednesday on several issues, with Comer leading the Oversight Committee's markup on provisions for the reconciliation package.

"We have jurisdiction over the federal employee benefit plans and things like that pertaining to the federal workforce," said Comer. "Remember, reconciliation has to deal with mandatory spending. So that's our jurisdiction. We've identified nearly $51 billion in cuts or savings."

Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, said Tuesday he will vote against the committee's contribution to the bill, as he opposes provisions to slash employee pension benefits, reports Politico.

Comer, though, told Newsmax that even without Turner's vote, "we should have votes to spare."

"Hopefully, the other eight committees over the next week will be able to pass out their savings, and at the end of the day, we hope to save around $1.5 trillion in the House," said Comer. "That will all be given to President Trump to be able to extend his tax cuts and create some new tax exemptions, like no tax on tips and no tax on overtime."

Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has called for a final package to be passed by Memorial Day, but the Senate leadership is aiming for July 4.

Comer said the bill must be passed quicker because "every day that you wait, there's more opposition that builds."

He conceded that there are some things in the proposed legislation that he does not like, but "at the end of the day, we've got to stick together, and I think the sooner we do this, the better. If we don't have the votes by Memorial Day, we're not going to have the votes by the 4th of July or by Labor Day. It's now or never," said Comer.

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