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Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told Republican lawmakers Saturday that President-elect Trump supports overhauling conservative policies through a single major bill, three sources told Fox News Digital.
Sources said Trump wants both the House and Senate to get such a bill on their desks by May. The president-elect’s deal is likely to stem growing intraparty friction over how to pass Republican goals next year through a process known as “reconciliation,” which lawmakers plan to use to pass conservative policies and budget changes.
House Republicans met behind closed doors at Fort McNair in Washington on Saturday to discuss the plan.
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Speaker Mike Johnson told Republicans in a closed-door meeting that President-elect Trump wants to pass one reconciliation bill. (AP/Getty)
Reconciliation allows the Senate to bypass its traditional 60-vote threshold in favor of a simple majority, provided the legislation focuses on budget and other fiscal issues.
Both sides have traditionally used reconciliation to pass sweeping policy changes in a single bill. But the legislation also undergoes a rigorous review, where the Senate parliamentarian is tasked with deciding what is and is not relevant to US financial matters.
It is noteworthy that earlier the Democrats tried to use reconciliation take mass amnesty measuresbut they were blocked.
Republicans may face similar challenges if they add border security provisions to the bill. They also intend to use it to extend Trump’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017, as well as energy and defense measures.
Johnson’s apparent decision on Saturday came as congressional Republicans debated whether to pass one or two reconciliation bills.
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New Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he wanted to pass two reconciliation bills last year. (Reuters)
The process is usually used once a year, but Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-D., floated a plan last month to split Republican priorities into two bills — one on the border and defense and one aimed at keeping Trump . tax policy.
Trump’s top adviser, Stephen Miller, also supported the plan.
But the push angered Republicans on the House Ways and Means Committee, who warned the two reconciliation bills could be too much of a lift and put taxes second can endanger the remaining GOP tax provisions that expire at the end of this year.
House Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Rev., noted on Fox Business Network’s “Mornings with Mary” that since 1997, Congress has not passed two reconciliation bills into law in the same year.
“I’m saying we need a reconciliation bill that includes the border, energy, permits and taxes. If you put all four of those things together, we can do it,” Smith said.
House Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith spoke in favor of one bill. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
Last month, the group issued a memo warning that ordinary Americans’ taxes could rise by 22% when Trump’s tax policies expire.
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But other lawmakers bristled at the idea that two bills were impossible.
House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, D-Maryland, told Fox News Digital last month, “I think we need to prove to the American people that we really can protect our borders. The bottom line is that I think they should go almost parallel. But I believe that taxes are much more complicated.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to the offices of Thune and Smith for comment. Thune’s office responded and declined to comment, while Smith’s office did not immediately respond.
