House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) told House Republicans on Saturday that President-elect Trump wants to pass one reconciliation bill, which several other Republicans have pushed for. He said it is a strategy that goes against the efforts of the two bills.
Johnson made the announcement during a closed-door meeting of House Republicans in Fort McNair, five people who were present told The Hill, as the chamber moved the bill through the budget reconciliation process. They were meeting to discuss plans for the transition. The three-way Republican alliance, which gained full control of the White House and both chambers of Congress in the 2024 elections, is trying to use that to bypass Democratic opposition and pass many of its priorities.
Mr Johnson told MPs the president-elect wants to pass “one big beautiful bill”, two sources said.
President Trump's stance is in direct contrast to the preferences of many Republicans on Capitol Hill, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., who last month laid out a plan that includes two reconciliation proposals. It is. One focuses on border security and defense, and the other builds on an extension of Trump-era tax cuts, with some provisions set to expire at the end of 2025.
Additionally, the conservative House of Commons Freedom Caucus endorsed a two-track plan in December, saying in a letter to Mr Johnson that the House of Commons would have one policy focused on border issues, and one policy that would include taxes and other issues. He wrote that the second policy should be addressed.
Freedom Caucus Chairman Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.) reiterated that position by Saturday morning.
“There's a group of us that supports splitting it into two,” Harris said in an interview on Fox News. “The first part is a very small border piece that will give the president the funds he needs to secure the southern border and begin deporting illegal criminal aliens.”
“The president needs money right now, and this is the quickest way to do it. Again, our group thinks it should be done,” he later added. “Big, big, beautiful bills take time to resolve, so I'll save them until the summer.”
President Trump's incoming deputy chief of staff for policy, Stephen Miller, also supports a two-package approach.
But President Trump's position is consistent with that of House Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith (R-Missouri). He was adamant that Congress should plan for one settlement instead of two, citing previous legislative efforts and narrow margins. Republicans are currently in Congress.
“There have never been two settlements signed and finalized in the same year,” Smith said last month. “So why do we think a 219-215 majority is overperformance?”
Contributed by Emily Brooks.
