Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told Republican lawmakers Saturday that President-elect Trump supports an overhaul of conservative policies through one major piece of legislation, three sources told Fox News Digital.
Trump wants both the House and Senate to have such a bill on their desks by May, the sources said. The president-elect’s assent is likely to end growing intraparty friction over how to pass Republican goals next year through a process known as “reconciliation,” which lawmakers plan to use to pass conservative policies and budget changes.
House Republicans met behind closed doors at Fort McNair in Washington on Saturday to discuss the plan.
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Speaker Mike Johnson revealed to Republicans in a closed-door meeting that President-elect Trump wants one reconciliation bill. (AP/Getty)
Reconciliation allows the Senate to bypass its traditional 60-vote threshold in favor of a simple majority, provided the legislation is focused on budget and other fiscal issues.
Both parties traditionally use reconciliation to pass broad policy changes in a single bill. But the legislation also goes through a rigorous vetting process where a lawmaker in the Senate is tasked with deciding what is and isn’t relevant to US fiscal issues.
Namely, the Democrats previously tried to use the reconciliation for adopt mass amnesty measuresbut they were blocked.
Republicans could face similar problems with their push to add border security provisions to the bill. They also intend to use it to expand Trump’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017, as well as pass energy and defense measures.
Johnson’s apparent decision on Saturday comes as Republicans in Congress have been at odds over whether to pass one or two reconciliation bills.
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New Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he wanted two reconciliation bills last year. (Reuters)
It’s a process that’s normally used once a year, but Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-D., last month floated a plan to split Republican priorities into two bills — one dealing with the border and defense and the other focused on conservation. Trump’s tax policy.
The plan was also supported by top Trump adviser Stephen Miller.
But that push has angered Republicans on the House Ways and Means Committee, who have warned that the two draft reconciliation bills could be too much of a stimulus, putting taxes second could endanger remaining GOP tax provisions set to expire at the end of this year.
Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., noted on Fox Business Network’s “Morning with Mary” that Congress has not passed two reconciliation bills in one year since 1997.
“I’m saying we need a reconciliation bill that includes border, energy, permits and tax. Put all four of those things together, we can get it done,” Smith said.
House Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith pushed for one bill. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
The panel released a memo last month warning that ordinary Americans could see their taxes rise by 22% if Trump’s tax policies expire.
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But other lawmakers bristled at the idea that two laws were impossible.
House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., told Fox News Digital last month, “I think we have to prove to the American people that we can actually defend our borders. The bottom line is that I think they must be on almost parallel tracks. But I believe taxes are much more complicated.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to the offices of Thune and Smith for comment. Thune’s office responded and declined to comment, and Smith’s office did not immediately respond.
