House Republicans finally heeded advice from President Donald Trump to “close your eyes” and vote for a GOP budget resolution, despite several hard-line conservatives raging against the lack of spending cuts in the bill in the minutes leading up to its passage.

Nearly all Republicans joined in to pass the budget resolution, 216 to 214, in a big turnaround win for House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Trump. The victory was not certain as deficit hawks met with leadership late into Wednesday night. They were concerned the bill to kick off Trump’s tax, border, and energy agenda would drive up the national debt.

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Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Victoria Spartz (R-IN) joined all Democrats in voting against the legislation, with the two expected to detract from leadership after holdouts blasted the legislation all week as a “joke” and “unserious.”

The bill was yanked Wednesday night in a blow to Johnson and Trump, as the measure will allow committees to begin crafting his tax, border, and energy legislation. Several Republicans refused to back down and support the bill as deficit hawks remain concerned the Senate will not live up to the $2 trillion in cuts they brokered with House GOP leadership.

Trump had been pressuring holdouts to vote in favor of the legislation telling House Republicans at a dinner Tuesday night to “close your eyes and get there.”

The budget resolution, which is light on specifics, includes a $5 trillion increase in the federal debt ceiling. The original House instructions would require $2 trillion in cuts, while the Senate’s version treats that figure as an aspirational goal and set spending cuts at $4 billion.

After yanking the bill Wednesday evening, Johnson told reporters that Republicans held “productive” conversations, and among the commitments included “finding at least $1.5 trillion in savings for the American people while also preserving our essential programs.”

This brings the four-month budget resolution rollercoaster to a close. After the House passed its version in February, the Senate sent back a compromise one-bill budget resolution last Saturday. But holdouts were enraged by the lack of spending cuts to offset the tax cuts, claiming it was “making up math,” but ultimately caved regardless.

One area of concern House conservatives had was the Senate’s use of a budget gimmick to assume that the extension of Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act would have no impact on the deficit, therefore blunting the need to find nearly $4 trillion in cuts elsewhere to pay for it. The tax cuts expire this year, while Trump also wants to add in campaign promises such as no taxes on tips.

A huge factor in flipping holdouts were comments made on record by Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) on Thursday morning.

Thune said the Senate is “aligned with the House” on savings. He noted there are “a lot” of senators that view the $1.5 trillion in cuts as a “minimum” but stopped short of firmly confirming the figure as set in stone.

“We’re certainly going to do everything we can to be as aggressive as possible to see that we are serious about the matter, not only making our federal government more fiscally sustainable, but also deficit reduction, which is critical to a lot of our members in the Senate, and I know to his members in the House,” Thune said.

House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris (R-MD) told the Hill he was pleased with Thune’s comments even though the Senate majority leader stopped short of a firm commitment of $1.5 trillion.

“The first time publicly, the Senate leader has come out and actually said that we’re in the same ballpark with the House and Senate reductions,” Harris said. “Obviously we were happy with the House spending reduction because we all voted for it so I think that’s a step in a positive direction.”

Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN), another holdout, told reporters he flipped to a “yes” after being a firmly against the measure this week.

“He went on record, and so we’ll act in good faith,” Ogles said.

Thune told reporters he was fully committed to the $1.5 trillion figure and brushed off concerns from some Freedom Caucus members that his comments weren’t committed enough.

“At some point, these guys just have to take yes for an answer,” Thune told Punchbowl News. “We’re aligned. We’re completely aligned.”

The budget resolution now heads to Trump’s desk for his signature. Its approval unlocks the budget reconciliation process that allows the GOP to start writing legislation on extending Trump’s 2017 tax cuts that expire this year as well as spending on border security priorities that will only require a majority vote in the GOP-led Senate, bypassing the typical 60-vote threshold.

GOP leadership — with the help of Trump — wants to finalize that policy language in “one big beautiful bill” and pass it through the House and Senate by Memorial Day for Trump’s first major legislative victory of his comeback term.

Trump, who has told House Republicans all week to “stop grandstanding” and pass the resolution, said in a post to Truth Social the “Big, Beautiful Bill” was coming along “really well” ahead of the vote.

HOUSE GOP BUDGET IS IN DANGER AS HOLDOUTS DISMISS TRUMP’S OUTREACH

“Republicans are working together nicely. Biggest Tax Cuts in USA History!!! Getting close,” the president said.

The budget blueprint resolution to kickstart that process passed its procedural rule on Wednesday with three GOP defections: Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY), Victoria Spartz (R-IN), and Mike Turner (R-OH). Turner voted against the rule due to the language to ban the House from voting to terminate Trump’s emergency declaration used to impose tariffs, but he voted for final passage.