With the House and Senate both back in session, the House Republican budget resolution is on thin ice as conservative budget hawks dig in on their opposition, threatening to derail Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-Louisiana) plans to try again to bring the legislation up for a vote late on Tuesday. At least four Republicans — Representatives Thomas Massie (Kentucky), Victoria Spartz (Indiana), Warren Davidson (Ohio) and Tim Burchett (Tennessee) — said they plan to vote against the measure when it hits the floor Tuesday evening, citing issues related to spending. It has been reported that there are at least an additional five opponents, signaling that the resistance is larger behind the scenes. The budget resolution would set the stage for House Republicans to pass a sprawling bill full of President Donald Trump’s domestic policy priorities, including border funding, energy policy and tax cuts. Members of the House Freedom Caucus, who are normally part of a cadre of hardliners opposing legislation over fiscal matters, meanwhile, are supportive of the resolution after they secured key changes ahead of a committee vote earlier this month. But with the thin GOP margin, other fiscal hawks can easily threaten the vote. Republicans can only afford to lose one GOP vote and still adopt the resolution, assuming full attendance and complete Democratic opposition. Attendance on both sides of the aisle was unclear early on Tuesday.
House GOP leadership is racing to adopt its budget resolution as it seeks to keep pace with its ambitious timeline to pass President Trump’s domestic policy agenda. Republicans are looking to use the budget reconciliation process to achieve that goal which would allow the party to circumvent Democratic opposition in the Senate. Republicans, however, must first adopt a budget resolution to set that process in motion with Speaker Johnson saying he wants to move the budget resolution out of the chamber by the end of this month.
Across the Capitol, the Senate earlier today voted to confirm Daniel Driscoll, an Army 1st lieutenant, as President Trump’s Army secretary. He most recently served as a senior adviser to Vice President Vance. Driscoll, 38, received bipartisan support during his confirmation hearing late last month and was confirmed in a 66-28 vote in the full Senate.
As discussed above, the House is expected to take up pursuant to a Rule: H. Con. Res. 14 – Establishing the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2025 and setting forth the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2026 through 2034.
The House may also consider two postponed suspensions: H.R. 788 – DOE and SBA Research Act and H.R. 804 – Rural Small Business Resilience Act.
Adam S. Olsen, Washington, D.C.
