House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is the right man to produce President Donald Trump's "one big, beautiful" reconciliation bill sooner than later, Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., and Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., both told Newsmax on Thursday.
Congress returned from Easter break this week with full attention on finalizing legislation that will codify Trump's executive actions and fund the government for the 2026 fiscal year.
Johnson has said he'd like to have a final package by Memorial Day, while Sen. Majority Leader John Thune has suggested July 4th as a target date.
While appearing on "Wake Up America," both Marshall and Tenney said Johnson should not be underestimated.
"Well, if anybody can pull it off, it'll be our classmate, Speaker Mike Johnson," said Marshall, who entered the House with both Johnson and Tenney in 2017. "I mean, everyone's saying there's betting against him, that he can get it done by Memorial Day. But we have a lot of faith in Mike and the president able to bend arms as well."
Tenney expressed confidence in Johnson while saying why the SALT tax needs to be addressed in the bill.
"We're going to find some relief to make sure that we can get our very narrow majority, which is skillfully managed by our best, you know, our best speaker," Tenney said. "Obviously, we love him. He was our classmate when we came in as freshmen with Sen. Marshall. This is a really important that we find a way for a win.
"Nobody's going to get everything they want, but we're going to find wins in this bill to make sure that we get the president's priorities, a mandate from the American people … 77 million people voted for the priorities of President Trump, and we're going to make sure that we do that. And this is going to be expertly and skillfully done by speaker Mike Johnson and Leader Thune in the Senate."
Marshall was asked whether legislation could be delayed by a senator seeking additional Ukraine funding.
"Look, everyone has their own priorities. They have to represent their own state, their own district as best they can. But at the end of the day, we need to be satisfied with getting 90% of what we want," Marshall said.
Told Trump suggested that any Republican who attempts to hold up the bill should be primaried, Tenney downplayed the president's threat.
"I don't think you can blame anyone on either side. We have, you know, individuals with a very narrow majority, and there is some performance art going on," she told co-hosts Sharla McBride and Marc Lotter.
"It's on the both, you know, the left, the right, the Democrats or Republicans. I think the president is tired of that. I think the American people see through it. We need professionals who are going to work to do the very best we can to get the very best product out. And I think that's what the president is focusing on. And I think I that's really what he wants."
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Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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