Speaker Mike Johnson successfully led the House in passing a multitrillion-dollar budget blueprint by a narrow margin of 217-215, with Republicans voting in favor and only one Republican voting against. The budget includes $4.5 trillion in tax cuts and $2 trillion in spending cuts, including $100 billion for immigration enforcement and the military. The budget also calls for $880 billion in cuts to federal programs, with some expected to come from Medicaid.
Throughout the day, Johnson and President Trump worked to secure enough votes to pass the budget, with Trump personally calling holdouts. Ultimately, three conservative rebels who initially opposed the budget framework changed their votes in favor of it after assurances from Trump.
After a chaotic episode in which the budget vote was briefly canceled and then brought back up, the House successfully passed the resolution. Republicans are pressuring the Senate to pass the same budget plan endorsed by Trump in order to proceed with enacting his policy priorities through reconciliation.
Democrats unanimously opposed the GOP budget, criticizing it as a tax cut for the wealthy that will hurt working-class families by cutting Medicaid. Even though there were concerns from both conservative and moderate Republicans about the budget, meetings with Johnson and calls from Trump helped soften their opposition.
The House’s vote is just the first step in the process, with both chambers needing to pass the same resolution before committees can craft a legislative package. The Senate had previously passed a different budget resolution, focusing on defense, the border, and energy, leaving taxes for a separate measure.
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