Both chambers of Congress must pass the same budget resolution in order to begin the reconciliation process to advance Trump’s agenda.
WASHINGTON—House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) expressed uncertainty about whether there will be a vote on the evening of Feb. 25 on a budget resolution to begin the process of passing a bill codifying President Donald Trump’s agenda.
“Stay tuned on the details. We’re going to do this methodically. We’re going to do it in a very responsible manner,” he said during a press conference. “And we’re going to achieve these goals. And we’ll be working with all the members throughout the day to get to that.
“There may be a vote tonight, there may not be. Stay tuned.”
Some House Republicans have criticized their conference’s budget resolution that both houses of Congress must pass to unlock the reconciliation process that would allow legislation related to taxing, spending, and the national debt to be expedited.
A bill could then pass without being subject to the 60-vote filibuster threshold in the Senate that most legislation must clear.
The House GOP budget resolution calls for $4.5 trillion in tax cuts and $1.5 trillion in deficit reduction over a decade. It would also raise the debt ceiling by $4 trillion.
In addition to raising the debt limit and cutting taxes, the ultimate bill would include measures related to border security and energy.
Some House Republicans have criticized the budget resolution for instructing the House Energy and Commerce Committee to cut $880 billion in the deficit over a decade, which could result in Medicaid cuts.
“There are good, hard-working-class people who receive Medicaid as they are working. This is not just lazy people who are sitting around not doing their job,” Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.) told The Epoch Times on Feb. 24. He said he was “leaning nay” in terms of his vote on the resolution.
“To get to that $880 billion-plus, I don’t know how you do it without cutting Medicaid seriously,” he said.
Johnson and House GOP leadership pushed back on the fear of Medicaid cuts.
“The word ‘Medicaid’ is not even in this bill,” said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) during the press conference.
“This bill doesn’t even mention the word Medicaid a single time,” he continued. “And yet, all Democrats are doing is lying about what’s in the budget because they don’t want to talk about the truth of what we’re voting to start.
“We’re voting to start a process. This doesn’t end the process.”
Johnson said that when it comes to Medicaid, the goal is to tackle the waste and fraud in the health insurance program, not to take it away from its low-income recipients.
“Everybody is committed to preserving [Medicaid] benefits for those who desperately need it and deserve it and qualify for it. What we’re talking about is rooting out the fraud, waste, and abuse,” he said.
“Every taxpayer, it doesn’t matter what party you’re in, you should be for that because it saves your money and it preserves the programs so that it is available for the people who desperately need it.”
Johnson cannot afford to lose more than one Republican if all Democrats are present and voting against the resolution.
At least two Republicans have come out against the resolution: Reps. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.).