At a closed-door Republican retreat, newly reelected House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Saturday morning that President-elect Donald Trump was in favor of passing a single reconciliation bill that would address his priorities, including border security . energy and an expansion of his signature 2017 tax law, two sources with direct knowledge told NBC News.
Since the November election, when Republicans took back control of the White House and Senate and retained control of the House, GOP lawmakers have publicly debated whether to try to pass one or two reconciliation bills to advance their agenda to help move forward.
Reconciliation allows Congress to adopt party policies on taxes and spending by a simple majority vote, suspending the Senate’s usual 60-vote threshold needed to pass legislation.
With a razor-thin Republican majority in the House of Representatives and a four-seat Republican majority in the Senate, Republican lawmakers would still have little wiggle room to lose Republican votes even if reconciliation-based laws are passed.
Johnson’s revelation that Trump favors a single reconciliation bill is important because some in the president-elect’s inner circle, including those who will be involved in negotiating any package, such as his immigration policy adviser Stephen Miller, have urged Republicans to to demand two separate reconciliation laws. : One focuses on immigration and the other focuses on Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, which expire later this year.
Trump’s passage of just one bill will be welcome news to many in the leadership, but could be a blow to some hardliners who want the border addressed immediately.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., approved a two-bill strategy in December, and Republicans in the House have already begun setting up the process for a border reconciliation bill.
“In my view, it makes sense to move quickly on things we know we can do quickly — border, defense, energy,” Thune told reporters last month. “And then come back with another package that would address some of the savings that could be achieved through cost reductions across various agencies, bureaucracies and government programs, and also address Trump’s expiring tax cuts in a package later this year.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson told Republicans about Trump’s wishes during a closed-door Republican Party retreat.
Most Republicans in Congress have raised issues with trying to pass two budget bills in one year through the shaky process that allows them to bypass the 60-vote threshold. Uniting the party around two massive bills, they say, instead of just one would be a tough job, and it could spend unnecessary political capital. Lawmakers charged with crafting tax policy and already planning the tax package are also concerned that splitting the bills in two would raise the price tag of extending Trump’s tax cuts and widen the deficit – a red line for many in the Republican Party.
Spokespeople for Trump and Thune’s transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
