Rep. Tony Gonzalez (R-Texas) said Sunday that Republicans are united in passing a single reconciliation bill and carrying out President-elect Trump's “America First” policies, and will continue to do so. He said he was optimistic about Republican governance for the year.
In an interview on NewsNation's “The Hill Sunday,” Gonzalez praised House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana), who was recently re-elected to the high-ranking post with President Trump's support.
“The House majority is going to be a deep minority. Very soon, it's going to be 217-215. That means one member can make a difference,” Gonzalez said in an interview. “But Mike Johnson is here to stay, and one of the reasons he's here is that he was able to work with President Trump to deliver on his America-first plan and agenda. And I'm very optimistic.”
Over the next 15 days, Gonzalez said, Republicans will work together to craft legislation that delivers on President Trump's top priorities “on day one.”
“For far too long we have been talking about this issue, and the issue is not resolved. And that is exactly what House Republicans, under the leadership of Mike Johnson, are going to do. “For 15 days, we're going to go to work,' and we're going to be ready… a package that will be ready for President Trump from day one,” he said.
On whether he thought the settlement could be watered down because the profit margins are so thin, Gonzalez said: “Members will discuss the color of the sky, right? So, of course, we'll always come back. ” he said. Repeating “We've gone too far” and “We've yet to go too far.”
But Mr. Gonzalez cited the success of Saturday's Republican convention, saying it showed Mr. Johnson's strong leadership, and said he was “very optimistic about next year.”
“I think we're focused on one package, and that's what President Trump ultimately wants to get across the finish line. But I want to say this: It's hard enough to get them to come on Monday. It might take an act of God to get them to come on Saturday. I was very optimistic.”
“I have to give a lot of credit to Mike Johnson and his team. We had a great turnout yesterday. It was well organized. We really got information from it. We were united. …The majority of the conference was held on Saturday, where we met with senators and basically said, “What do we need to do to get this America First agenda ready to get to the finish line on day one?'' ” he should have said. ? ”
Mr. Gonzalez said Saturday's meeting was attended by Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and he was confident that Mr. Thune, like Mr. Johnson, would be aligned with Mr. Trump.
“I do. Yes,” Gonzalez said in response to a question about whether Thune was “in lockstep” with Trump. “There are a few different reasons. One is that I met John Tune yesterday. Leader Tune yesterday. He said a lot of very insightful things. My worldview… Government should have a limited vision, but it should be an effective structure for our society, and I think John Thune has exactly the same view.
“So if we can get the House, the Senate and the president to work together to act on behalf of the American people, that's why we won this mandate. That's why we won this. It's going to be easy, right? No, of course not,” he said.
Gonzalez added that the Senate has a three-seat majority and therefore has more room to pass things.
“It’s easier for them than it is for us,” Gonzalez said. “So I think that's going to start a lot of things in the House. Thankfully, Mike Johnson's leadership is going to bring us all together.”
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