Trump meets with congressional Republicans as GOP lawmakers argue over tax and spending cuts
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is meeting privately with congressional Republicans at the White House on Thursday as his allies on Capitol Hill are arguing with themselves over the size, scope and details of his “big, beautiful bill” to cut taxes, regulations and government spending.
The House and Senate GOP leaders are looking to Trump for direction on how to proceed, but so far the president has been noncommittal about the details — only pushing Congress for results.
The standoff is creating frustration for Republicans as precious time is slipping and they fail to make progress on what has been their top priority with their party in control in Washington. At the same time, congressional phone lines are being swamped with callers protesting Trump's cost-cutting efforts led by billionaire Elon Musk against federal programs, services and operations.
Speaker Mike Johnson, despite the slimmest of majorities, has insisted Republicans will stay unified and on track to deliver on his goal of House passage of the legislation by April.
But as Johnson's timeline slips — the House was hoping to start budget hearings this week — the Senate is making moves to take charge.
Republicans led by Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota have proposed a two-step approach, starting with a smaller bill that would include money for Trump’s U.S.-Mexico border wall and deportation plans, among other priorities. They later would pursue the more robust package of tax break extensions before a year-end deadline.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, announced late Wednesday that he was pushing ahead next week with hearings to kickstart the process.
Graham's first bill would total some $300 billion and include border money and a boost in defense spending, largely paid for with a rollback of Biden-era green energy programs. Graham, R-S.C., said that would give the Trump administration the money it needs to “finish the wall, hire ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents to deport criminal illegal immigrants, and create more detention beds so that we do not release more dangerous people into the country.”
“This will be the most transformational border security bill in the history of our country,” Graham said.
That's a long way from the more $3 trillion in tax cuts and more than than $2 trillion in spending reductions that hard-line conservatives are demanding.
House Republicans are deeply split over Graham’s approach. But they are also at odds over their own ideas.
House GOP leaders are proposing some $1 trillion in savings over the decade, lawmakers said, but members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus want at least double that amount.
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, said of achieving only $100 billion a year in savings, at a time of $7 trillion in annual spending: “That’s insane.”
Roy and other members of the Freedom Caucus are interested in Graham's approach, which is seen as a down payment on Trump's immigration and deportation plans, while the party continues work on the broader tax and spending cuts package.
But Texas Rep. Jodey Arrington, the House Budget Committee chairman, said the $2.5 trillion in spending reductions was a “stretch goal.”
Johnson, R-La., needs almost complete unanimity from his ranks to pass any bill over objections from Democrats. In the Senate, Republicans have a 53-47 majority, with little room for dissent.
Trump has repeatedly said he is less wed to the process used in Congress than the outcome of achieving his policy goals.
