The House GOP’s plan to pass a large chunk of President Trump’s agenda is set to face a key test this week when the conference looks to adopt a budget resolution, which would set the legislative process in motion.
The outcome of that effort, however, remains unclear. Three key moderate Republicans told The Hill last week that they were withholding support from the measure until they received more information about the planned spending cuts in the legislation and assurances that those slashes will not significantly impact social safety net programs like Medicaid. And Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.), who is known for changing positions on legislation, announced Sunday night that that she was “a NO on the current version” of the legislation.
Republicans can only afford to lose one GOP lawmaker and still adopt the budget resolution, a razor-thin margin that is making matters more difficult for Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.). Additionally, Trump endorsed the House’s one-track strategy over the Senate’s two-bill blueprint last week, upping the pressure on Johnson and his leadership team to deliver.
On the other side of the Capitol, senators will continue considering Trump’s cabinet nominees, including former Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.), his pick to lead the Department of Labor, who has come under scrutiny for her past support of a pro-labor measure.
And the scramble to avert a government shutdown is set to heat up this week, as Congress stares down a fast-approaching March 14 deadline to keep the lights on in Washington.
House to take up GOP budget resolution
The main focus on Capitol Hill this week will be the House GOP’s budget resolution, as onlookers inside and outside of Congress watch to see if the conference can adopt the legislation to unlock the budget resolution process — which Republicans are looking to use to pass Trump’s domestic policy priorities.
That effort will begin on Monday at 4 p.m., when the House Rules Committee is scheduled to consider the budget resolution. If the panel advances the measure, its next stop would be the House floor. Trump endorsed the House’s one-bill plan last week, backing the lower chamber’s blueprint over the Senate’s framework, which utilized a two-track strategy.
The fate of the House GOP budget resolution, however, is currently hanging in the balance.
Spartz, who has a history of flip-flipping her stance on various bills, announced on X Sunday night that she was opposed to the current version of the budget resolution, taking issue with the depth of the spending cuts laid out in the legislation.
Additionally, Reps. David Valadao (R-Calif.), Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) and Don Bacon (R-Neb.) told The Hill last week that they were not yet on board with the budget resolution amid concerns over potential cuts to Medicaid. Valadao said “there’s probably 10 [Republicans] that are really nervous about the situation,” a statement that is sure to spark concerns among House GOP leadership as it grapples with its narrow majority.
The budget resolution — which advanced out of the House Budget Committee earlier this month — lays out a $1.5 trillion floor for spending cuts across committees with a target of $2 trillion. It puts a $4.5 trillion ceiling on the deficit impact of any GOP plan to extend Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, and includes $300 billion in additional spending for the border and defense and a $4 trillion debt limit increase.
Within the spending cut instructions, the legislation directs the Energy and Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over Medicaid, to find at least $880 billion in cuts, a large figure that many believe can only be achieved by making significant slashes to the social safety net program.
That notion is sparking a debate in the House GOP conference.
On one end are moderate Republicans, who are wary of making those cuts since they could impact their constituents who benefit from the program. That concern could expand to other GOP lawmakers who represent districts with a large percentage of Medicaid beneficiaries. Additionally, Trump has also said he does not want to gut Medicaid.
On one end of the conversation, however, are hardline Republicans, who are insisting that the massive package be offset — a demand that will require deep spending cuts.
Caught in the middle is Johnson, who is tasked with overseeing the passage of Trump’s agenda through the tiny GOP majority — a job that requires appeasing all corners of the ideologically diverse conference.
Top lawmakers, including Johnson, have insisted that the conference will not make significant cuts to Medicaid. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), for example, declared on “Fox News Sunday” over the weekend, “We’re not looking to make cuts to Medicaid,” noting that the conference is just looking at things like work requirements, which are broadly supported in the GOP conference.
“Our plan is pretty basic: cut taxes, cuts some spending, help the national defense, and secure the border. Exactly what we told the voters we were going to do,” Jordan said. “That’s what’s in our plan. The budget resolution will allow us to accomplish that. I hope it’s going to pass this week.”
Without significant slashes to Medicaid, however, many lawmakers are skeptical that the group can reach the minimum level of cuts laid out in the budget resolution.
Republicans are looking to use the budget reconciliation process to pass Trump’s agenda which, if successful, would allow the conference to circumvent Democratic opposition in the Senate. Adopting a budget resolution is the first step in the process. After that, the conference would be tasked with crafting the package.
Senate Republicans adopted their own budget resolution last week for the first of two reconciliation bills, moving ahead with their two-track strategy despite Trump’s endorsement of the House’s one-bill approach. Senate Republicans are watching closely to see if the House can adopt a budget resolution for “one big, beautiful bill,” as GOP lawmakers describe it, while maintaining that their two-bill framework can serve as a backup should the lower chamber’s plan fail.
Senate to consider more Trump nominations
The Senate is set to consider more of Trump’s Cabinet nominees this week, an effort that will be headlined by Chavez-DeRemer, whose confirmation remains in question because of her past pro-labor stances.
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee is set to vote on Chavez-DeRemer’s nomination on Thursday at 9:30 a.m.
Whether or not Chavez-DeRemer will make it out of committee, however, remains unclear, as some Republicans are threatening to withhold their support. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), for example, has said he is a “likely no” on her nomination. If Paul joins all Democrats in voting no, Chavez-DeRemer’s nomination will remain in committee. If a Democrat joins the majority of Republicans on the panel, however, it can get dispatched to the full Senate.
The main GOP qualm with Chavez-DeRemer is focused on her past support for the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, or PRO Act, which allows workers to unionize more easily. It also checks the power of private management over workers. The measure is backed by Democrats, and Chavez-DeRemer was one of a few Republicans to support it.
Paul pressed Chavez-DeRemer on her support of the PRO Act during her confirmation hearing last week, stating that she is no longer in support of the provision in the legislation that would have limited state right-to-work laws.
On the Senate floor, meanwhile, the chamber is expected to consider other nominations, including Daniel Driscoll to be secretary of the Army and Jamieson Greer to be U.S. Trade Representative. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) filed cloture on those nominations last week.
On Monday, senators will take a procedural vote on Driscoll’s nomination.
Congress inches closer to government funding deadline
The calendar will officially turn to March this week, putting Congress in the same month as the looming March 14 government shutdown deadline. Despite that date fast-approaching, however, lawmakers in both parties have still not struck a deal to keep the lights on in Washington past the middle of next month — raising the possibility of a shutdown.
Top lawmakers on the Appropriations Committees have been trading funding proposals across the aisle for weeks, hoping to come to a topline agreement for the 12 annual funding bills for the remainder of the fiscal year. Thus far, however, the group has been unsuccessful.
On Thursday, Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) told Punchbowl News “I believe we’re at an impasse,” pointing to “restrictions” Democrats are asking for regarding presidential powers. Democrats have been up in arms over various actions Trump has taken to reconfigure the federal government during his first month back in the White House.
Without a deal on topline numbers — which could be difficult to achieve amid deep partisan divisions over funding — lawmakers will have to look at a continuing resolution to avoid a shutdown, which could also be tough to achieve considering hardline Republicans are traditionally opposed to stopgaps. Additionally, Democrats may not be on board with such a measure.
On Sunday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said discussions are still taking place ahead of the March 14 deadline — while pinning the responsibility of averting a shutdown on the Republican trifecta.
“There are ongoing discussions being led by [Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.)], top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, to see if an enlightened agreement can be reached in advance of March 14 and we’ll see what takes place,” Jeffries said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“What we do know is that the Republicans have the House, the Senate and the presidency,” he added. “It is their responsibility to fund the government.”
