There is enough "determination" to pass President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill" on the budget by the Senate's July 4 deadline, but care must be taken to avoid too many delays, former Rep. Pete King said on Newsmax Sunday.
"This always happens," the New York Republican said on Newsmax's "Wake Up America Weekend." "There are always people on both sides, very well-intentioned, who have specific disagreements. Usually, they can be resolved. It usually involves a compromise and a give-and-take."
Once the bill reaches the House floor and Trump starts to weigh in, "I think they will find a way to get it done," he added.
And when the bill reaches the Senate, "that's another ballgame," said King.
"But I think so much is invested in this and there is so much determination about it that I think yes, it is going to pass," he said. "I hope it's by July 4. The longer you wait on these things, especially when there's a break in there, [that] can delay [it], but right now I would say we're in good shape."
His comments come in response to a Newsmax interview last week with Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., who said he is "not particularly optimistic" that Congress will pass the bill by July 4.
House Republicans are still negotiating the bill, with a self-set deadline of Memorial Day, leaving about a month for the Senate to review and pass the bill. Johnson said he would not vote for it unless major spending cuts are made.
Former Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga., also on Sunday's program, said he agrees Congress will pass the bill.
"The things that Sen. Johnson is worried about, those things can be addressed," said Kingston. "Then when the Senate passes it, you're on third base, and then you've got to get the House and the Senate together on their differences, and you're on your way home. We've been here before. It's going to happen."
King also discussed Friday's meeting between Trump and New York Mayor Eric Adams at the White House and said it seems like there could be a "blooming partnership" between the two.
"It might be a marriage of necessity, but they do seem to be working together," King said. "The city is cooperating much more with ICE, which they have not done in the past, and he is catching a lot of flak for that. Whatever his motives are, he is doing the right thing now."
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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