tl;dr
Mike Johnson, R-La., led the House to pass a revised budget blueprint by a narrow 216-214 vote, overcoming conservative opposition. President Donald Trump supported the plan, previously approved by the Senate. The House committed to finding $1.5 trillion in savings, winning over holdouts. Senate Maj...
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., successfully pushed a revised budget blueprint through the House with a narrow 216-214 vote, overcoming a conservative rebellion. Only two Republicans, Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Victoria Spartz of Indiana, joined all Democrats in opposition. President Donald Trump had endorsed the budget plan, previously adopted by the Senate in a 51-48 vote.
After scrapping a vote on the budget plan the previous night, Johnson and conservative holdouts reached a breakthrough on Thursday, leading to the successful vote. The House leadership committed to finding at least $1.5 trillion in savings for the American people, a figure that won over many of the holdouts who had demanded deeper spending cuts.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., emphasized the need to put the country on a more sustainable fiscal path and expressed alignment with the House in terms of the outlined savings. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, cited commitments on spending cuts from the White House, Johnson, and Thune as securing his vote.
The budget's passage is a significant victory for Johnson, Thune, and Trump, as it sets the stage for a lengthy process to fulfill Trump's agenda, including trillions of dollars in tax cuts, increased spending on immigration enforcement and military expansion, and raising the debt ceiling by as much as $5 trillion. Republicans aim to use the "reconciliation" process to bypass the 60-vote threshold in the Senate and exclude Democrats from the process.
In the following weeks, Republican lawmakers will navigate the challenge of identifying specific cuts without alienating moderates protective of government programs relied upon by their constituents.