Republicans unified behind a budget blueprint, a major step toward delivering Donald Trump’s sprawling tax-cut and immigration agenda over unanimous opposition from Democrats – and deep concerns that it would slash social safety net programs – to advance Trump’s 2025 agenda.
Johnson and House Republican Steve Scalise said Trump himself had been contacting reluctant members about the need to advance the $4.5tn tax cut plan, which would also fund the deportation of migrants living in the US without documentation, tighten border security, energy deregulation and military spending.
Eight House Republicans, including the California representative David Valadao and the New York representative Nicole Malliotakis, warned in a letter to Johnson last week that “slashing Medicaid would have serious consequences, particularly in rural and predominantly Hispanic communities”.
During last week’s recess, constituent anger over Republicans’ proposed cuts to Medicaid and other social safety net programs as well as Elon Musk’s efforts to dismantle the federal government boiled over at town halls and congressional offices across the country.
The vote comes after the Senate passed its own budget bill last week – a less contentious one that Trump does not support as much as the House’s.
