Divisions are growing among the GOP, with an increasing number of holdouts who could prevent House Speaker Mike Johnson from clearing his budget plan on the House floor this week.
Newsweek has contacted Johnson’s office for comment via email.
Why It Matters
House Republicans released a budget plan earlier in February to advance many of President Donald Trump‘s top domestic priorities. Trump has urged both chambers of Congress to pass the legislation quickly.
The resolution calls for $4.5 trillion in tax cuts, which has concerned lawmakers worried about the nation’s growing debt. It also calls for $2 trillion in cuts to spending, which has alarmed some swing-district Republicans who worry about the impact of substantial cuts to Medicaid and other services on their constituents. It comes as the Trump campaign’s pollster has sounded the alarm about the vulnerabilities congressional Republicans face ahead of next year’s midterm elections.
With a 218-215 majority in the House, Johnson can only afford to lose one vote on the resolution that all Democrats will certainly vote against. But he is facing resistance from a number of Republicans, throwing into question whether the House will be able to get the budget proposal over the finish line.
What To Know
Johnson said on Monday that he is not planning to make any changes to the budget plan to appease Republicans concerned about possible Medicaid cuts.
“Everybody needs to understand that the resolution is merely the starting point for the process,” he said, according to Politico. “So there’s nothing specific about Medicaid in the resolution. The legislation comes later, so this is the important first start.”
He also said it was still his plan to hold a vote on the budget plan this week, but didn’t specify exactly when it might occur—though leaders have privately planned for a Tuesday vote, Politico reported.
Asked about holdouts, Johnson acknowledged there “may be more than one.”
Some conservative lawmakers oppose the level of spending cuts in the resolution.
Representatives Victoria Spartz of Indiana said on X on Sunday that she is “a NO on the current version” of the resolution and Tim Burchett of Tennessee told reporters on Monday that he was also opposed.
Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky indicated he was against the resolution, writing on X that if it passes, the deficit “gets worse, not better.”
Meanwhile, some moderate Republicans—including some who represent swing districts—remain concerned about the potential cuts to Medicaid.
Representative Nicole Malliotakis said in an interview on Bloomberg TV on Monday that she is between “‘undecided’ and ‘lean no’” on the resolution because she needs “to get a better understanding and some assurances that we’re not going to have impacts on Medicaid recipients in my district.”
Rep. Juan Ciscomani, of California, echoed that sentiment, telling reporters that he wants to make sure “we get to a point where we protect the most vulnerable covered, right now specifically in Medicaid.”
What People Are Saying
House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Monday, per Politico: “We believe we’ll have the votes. We’re very optimistic we’ll get this thing done.”
President Donald Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday: “We need both Chambers to pass the House Budget to ‘kickstart’ the Reconciliation process, and move all of our priorities to the concept of, ‘ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL.’”
Representative Thomas Massie wrote on X: “If the Republican budget passes, the deficit gets worse, not better.”
Representative Nicole Malliotakis said on Bloomberg TV: “I have people who are senior citizens, who are developmentally disabled or have other disabilities in my district, and they rely on this Medicaid health care, and I don’t want to see them be impacted by it.”
Representative Chip Roy of Texas, who voted to advance the resolution out of committee, wrote on X on Sunday that he is “open to supporting it going forward – as a framework to see how much Republicans are willing to finally deliver. But statements by some of my colleagues (House & Senate) leave that in doubt.”
What’s Next
It remains to be seen whether the House will vote on the resolution this week.
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