House Republicans’ mammoth budget reconciliation bill is in peril on Monday evening with at least two GOP lawmakers threatening to vote against it.
House GOP leaders are hoping to hold a vote Tuesday on a vast bill advancing President Donald Trump’s priorities on the border, defense, taxes, and energy.
But at least two House Republicans have said they oppose the legislation – and the GOP’s razor-thin margins mean Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., can only afford one defector to still pass anything along party lines, if all Democratic lawmakers are present.
Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., told reporters he was against the bill on Monday, the day after Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., said she was also opposed. Both said they are seeking assurances that Congress is sufficiently committed to cutting government over-spending.
Meanwhile, a group of GOP lawmakers in less ruby-red districts are still undecided over potentially severe cuts to Medicaid and other federal programs to offset the cost of Trump’s priorities.
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., told reporters there was ‘somewhere between six and 10’ House Republicans who needed more clarity on where spending cuts will fall.
‘If I don’t get answers, I’m not going to vote for it,’ Malliotakis said. ‘But if I can get some clarity and assurances, then you know, we’re moving a little bit more toward the ‘yes’ column.’
Malliotakis said on the way into Johnson’s office Monday that there was ‘a lot of seniors and people with disabilities’ in her district, ‘and I want to make sure they’re not gonna get harmed in this process.’
Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., who was also part of that meeting, called it ‘helpful’ but did not commit to supporting the bill.
Malliotakis and Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, also said they were still undecided when leaving the meeting.
Spartz is also expected to meet with Johnson at some point Monday to discuss her stance.
Burchett, however, told reporters he had no current plans to speak with Johnson about his opposition – but left room to be persuaded.
‘I would like to see a commitment that we’re going to go after [spending cuts],’ Burchett said. ‘When we say we’re decreasing the rate of growth, we’re still growing. And again, can we not just go back to pre-COVID spending levels?’
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., also signaled he was against the bill, writing on X, ‘If the Republican budget passes, the deficit gets worse, not better.’
House and Senate Republicans are aiming to use their majorities to pass a broad swath of Trump policies, from more border security funding to eliminating taxes on tipped and overtime wages, via the budget reconciliation process.
By leveling thresholds for passage in the House and Senate at a simple majority, reconciliation allows the party in power to pass fiscal legislation without any support from the opposing side. The Senate has a two-thirds majority threshold to advance most measures.
The bill aims to increase spending on border security, the judiciary and defense by roughly $300 billion, while seeking at least $1.5 trillion to $2 trillion in spending cuts elsewhere.
As written, the bill also provides $4.5 trillion to extend Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) provisions, which expire at the end of this year.