House Republicans passed a budget resolution on a party-line vote of 217-215 Tuesday night, clearing a major hurdle on the way to funding President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” agenda.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., was the only Republican to oppose the bill, as he argued that it did not address the national debt.
President Donald Trump praised the unity of Republicans on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday morning, writing, “Big First Step Win for Speaker Mike Johnson, and AMERICA. Now let’s start to BALANCE THE BUDGET. IT CAN BE DONE!!!”
The resolution is a mostly nonbinding blueprint for the budget, but a necessary step to begin the budget reconciliation process that would make fulfilling Trump’s campaign promises possible.
Republicans from various factions agreed on a plan to cut $2 trillion in spending and provide $4.5 trillion in tax cuts over the next 10 years.
Speaking after passage of the resolution, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., celebrated the resolution’s passage, but signaled that the fight to pass the budget was far from over.
“This is the first important step in opening up the reconciliation process. We have a lot of hard work ahead of us, but we are going to deliver the ‘America First’ agenda, and we’re going to deliver all of it, not just part of it. And this is the first step in that process,” said Johnson.
Rep. Russ Fulcher, R-Idaho, a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, similarly rejoiced at the passage in a statement to The Daily Signal, citing what he views as the successes of the bill.
“The House’s budget blueprint will deliver significant tax cuts, reduce spending, stimulate economic growth, secure the border, and ultimately lay the framework to codify President Trump’s policy agenda into legislation and deliver for Americans,” said Fulcher.
Johnson’s work was not easy, as several fiscally conservative lawmakers had previously indicated that they would vote against the bill, arguing that it does not do enough to address the national debt.
Republican Reps. Victoria Spartz of Indiana, Tim Burchett of Tennessee, and Warren Davidson of Ohio all indicated their opposition beforehand, but ultimately voted to pass the resolution.
Spartz said on X after the vote that she favored the budget instructions in order to advance Trump’s health care goals.
Burchett also took to X after the vote, explaining that he was not completely satisfied with the budget, but that he passed it to advance tax cuts and border security.
“Look, it’s not everything you want, but I’m a believer if you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu. And dadgummit, the American taxpayer’s been on the menu a whole lot,” Burchett said.
The Tennessee lawmaker also explained that a conversation with Trump eased some of his anxieties over the bill.
“I had a great conversation with the president today. He was very friendly and answered all my questions and shares my concerns about the growth of government and how we need to make some cuts … . Y’all know me, I’d like to cut this thing to the quick, but the reality is, that’s not going to pass. But we did get some legitimate cuts.”
The passage of the House resolution, although only the first step in passing a budget, is a triumph for Trump and Johnson’s work to corral the narrow Republican majority toward legislative action.