The president spent hours lobbying Republican holdouts on Tuesday to pass the fiscal 2025 budget blueprint, on a 217-215 vote, with one Republican voting no, Roll Call reports.
It’s just the first step toward passing the reconciliation bill, with $4.5 trillion in tax breaks and $2 trillion in spending cuts, that House Republicans are seeking to enact Trump’s agenda. The plan is at odds with Senate Republicans, who are pursuing their own budget blueprint focused on border security and defense, while deferring tax legislation until later in the year.
The House budget resolution had gotten criticism from both wings of the Republican Conference.
Ultraconservatives, mainly from the Freedom Caucus, said an initial draft calling for $1.5 trillion in spending cuts was insufficient.
And GOP moderates expressed concern about the impact spending cuts could have on Medicaid, the health insurance program for low-income families. The budget would instruct the Energy and Commerce Committee to find $880 billion in savings over a decade, and Medicaid is the likeliest target for cuts in that panel’s jurisdiction.
But they got assurances from House leaders after a late-night meeting Monday that cost-cutting would focus on Medicaid fraud, while not touching benefits for people eligible for the program.
Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., noted that Trump has promised he wouldn't allow Medicaid to be cut.
“The president was clear about that. I was clear about that,” Lawler said. “We will work through this, but the objective today is to begin the process.”
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