House Republicans finally launched their Party-Line Tax and Spending Package from the Budget Committee late Sunday night, after GOP Leaders promised Changes to appease Fiscal Hawks after an Embarrassing Setback. The Vote to Approve the Measure for Floor Action follows a Weekend of Negotiations between House Republican Leaders, the White House, and the Four GOP Lawmakers who Tanked the Committee Vote on Friday. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA, 4th District) told Reporters Sunday night, that “minor modifications” were Promised to the Holdouts.
Just before the late-night Markup, the Speaker huddled Privately in a Room adjacent to the Meeting Room with the Budget Committee Republicans who previously Blocked the Megabill from Advancing: Reps. Chip Roy (TX, 21st District), Josh Brecheen (OK, 2nd District), Andrew Clyde (GA, 9th District) and Ralph Norman (SC, 5th District). Once the Markup Reconvened, House Budget Chair Jodey Arrington (TX, 19th District) said that Negotiations over Changes to the more than 1,100-page Bill are Ongoing: “Deliberations continue at this very moment, they will continue on into the week, and I suspect right up until the time we put this big, beautiful bill on the floor of the House.”
But Norman told Reporters that Republican Lleaders put their Commitments to the GOP Holdouts in Writing. Those Promises, Norman said, include Speeding-Up Enforcement of several Ppolicies in the Bill, including Medicaid Work Requirements, Nixing Green Energy Tax Perks enacted during the Biden Administration and Revoking Medicaid Benefits from Undocumented Immigrants. Norman, Roy, Brecheen, and Clyde, ended up Voting “Present” on Sunday, allowing the Bill to Clear Committee while still expressing continued Discontent. In a Statement Sunday Night, the House Freedom Caucus said the bill “fails to actually honor our promise to significantly correct the spending trajectory of the federal government” and that the Group’s Members are “determined and committed to working through the remaining obstacles within this bill.”
House Republican Leaders still need to Publicly Detail possible Changes and Brief the Full House GOP Conference, and their Concessions could Endanger Support among Moderate Republicans, wary of Facilitating a Faster Ramp-Uup in Medicaid Work Requirements, and a Swifter Ending to the Green Energy Tax Perks enacted during the Biden Administration. Johnson is planning to Meet with the Main Street Caucus on Monday Evening. The Business-Friendly Faction includes a Group of Moderates who Requested an Audience with the Speaker last week, to discuss their Concerns about Medicaid, SNAP Food Aid, Federal Employee Pensions, and other Provisions in the Bill they want Tweaked before it goes to the Rules Committee and the House Floor.
The Speaker still hopes to Meet His Target of Passing the Megabill by Memorial Day, as GOP Leaders in both Chambers race to enact Trump’s (R) Boldest Campaign Promises this Summer. Top House Republicans want to put the Legislation on the House Floor by Thursday. when Lawmakers are set to leave for a Week-Long Recess. And Republicans are further Racing to show Progress on the Megabill after a Trio of Brutal Economic Blows last Week, including Chaos rippling through the Bond Market, Moody’s Downgrading the U.S. Credit Rating, and Walmart’s Announcement it would Raise Prices after Trump’s latest Tariffs. Republican Leaders, White House Officials, and some of the Conservative Holdouts huddled Sunday Afternoon and made Progress on the Hard-Liners’ Medicaid Work Requirement Demands. They also discussed Movin-Up an effort to Repeal certain Clean Energy Tax Credits contained in the Democrats’ 2022 Climate Law, and which are Benefiting Red States and Districts, a move Leadership hadn’t been willing to entertain previously, Enraging Hard-Liners.
In those talks, GOP Leaders listed a $40,000 State-and-Local-tax Deduction Cap for Individuals and $80,000 for Married Couples filing Jointly as One of the items they’re working into the Final Plans, though they’re still looking for ways to Pay-for-It, amid Talks with a Separate Group of Centrist Holdouts from High-Tax Bblue States. One of the Bbiggest Outstanding Fights: Hard-Liners want to Accelerate the Timeline for Strict Medicaid Work Requirements for millions of Low-Income “able-bodied” Americans in the Current Megabill while Removing any Waivers for States and further Limiting Funding to States to help Pay for the Program.
In States, Tariffs aren’t yet producing the Surge of Foreign Investment Trump is Promising. Trump has been Reluctant to Approve any moves that can be construed as Cutting Medicaid, which many of His own Voters in Deep Red States rely on for Health Care. GOP Leaders have been Privately discussing moving Up the Work Requirement start date from 2029 to 2027. But as Private talks between Holdouts, White House Officials and GOP Leaders wore on this Weekend, One thing became increasingly Clear: “In the end, the president is gonna have to weigh in on where he stands on Medicaid,” said One Person involved in the Weekend Talks.
Johnson’s Leadership Circle hasDdebated when to ask the White House to Invite the various Warring Groups of House Republicans to the White House so Trump can Lean-on-the Remaining Rebels. But with a Larger Group of Hard-Liners still Deeply Upset that the Bill doesn’t Cut enough Spending and leaves some of the Biden-era Clean Energy Incentives in place, that Strategy comes with its own Risks. “If I get in a room with the president, I’m going to tell him this isn’t what he asked for,” One House GOP Lawmaker said.
If House Republican Leaders succeed in passage, Republicans in the Senate will then begin working on their Own Changes in order to Build enough GOP Support on their Side of the Capitol. Republican Leaders aim to ultimately Clear the Package for Trump’s Signature in June or July, a tall order given the GOP’s Slim Margins in both Chambers and the Magnitude of the Legislation. Besides fulfilling Trump’s campaign-trail tax promises — including no taxes on tips or overtime — the bill would juice military and border Security Spending by hundreds of billions of dollars, while extending many of the 2017 Tax Cuts. To Offset those Costs, the Legislation would Shrink Federal Support for Safety-Net Programs like Medicaid and SNAP Food Assistance, along with Ending Green Tax Incentives Democrats enacted during the Biden (D) Administration.
Still, Congress’ Nonpartisan Scorekeeper is expected to conclude that the Package as a Whole, would Increase the Deficit and Grow the Federal Government’s more than $36 trillion National Ddebt, Not Reduce It.
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
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