House Republicans WILL do as told….
This means that the WHOLE thing IS gonna take TIME….
This also means that in the end?
Regardless?
GOP Speaker Johnson IS going to have to make deals WITH Democrats, since the Republican RightWingNuts will be a problem….
Trump is likely to want to get around ANYTHING that stands in his way for a BIG win on this….
Including obstinate members of HIS party….
Speaker Mike Johnson told Republicans on Saturday that President-elect Donald Trump wants one reconciliation package, instead of the planned two that Republican leadership has been pushing, three people in the room where discussions took place told POLITICO.
Johnson’s message came as Republicans are meeting behind closed doors at Fort McNair to map out their strategy for passing a sweeping border, tax and energy package that will be the heart of their legislative agenda. Trump told Johnson that he wants “one big beautiful bill,” the Louisiana Republican recounted at the retreat, per three lawmakers.
Trump’s decision is a break from Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s pitch for a two-bill strategy that would have seen Republicans pass a border and energy bill first followed by a tax bill. Johnson had also previously indicated there would be two bills — though that was viewed as more of a deference to Trump’s perceived preference and a way to notch quick wins for his agenda. Thune stopped by the House GOP retreat on Saturday, a person familiar confirmed to POLITICO.
Trump’s decision is a win for House Ways & Means Chair Jason Smith (R-Mo.) who has pushed for Republicans to pass one bill instead of two, Smith and his allies warned that separating the tax package out into its own reconciliation bill risked them not passing at all. Republicans have major divisions to bridge on tax strategy and border and energy are viewed as sweeteners to help wrangle GOP votes….
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Trump’s agenda?
Johnson’s top priority, now, will be crafting one or two bills jam-packed with Trump agenda items – such as extending Trump’s tax cuts and addressing border security – which they aim to pass through a party-line “reconciliation” process that bypasses the threat of a Democratic filibuster.
But getting the fractious House GOP behind the package could prove to be as tall of a task for Johnson as it was to secure the votes to be reelected Speaker.
In the razor-thin House majority, opposition from just a member or two can sink any party-line measure. The House currently has 219 Republicans and 215 Democrats, with that margin set to get even slimmer when a number of House members join the Trump administration….
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