This administration is moving fast. They learned their lesson from the first term.
Now Trump cut the legs out from under Democrats in Congress with this bold move.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., revealed that Republicans are setting their sights on roughly $1 trillion in spending cuts as they prepare a sweeping conservative policy overhaul.
“I think when you look at where we are, we’re close to a trillion and still working,” Scalise said late Tuesday night in response to a question from Fox News Digital. When pressed by another reporter on whether $1 trillion was the GOP’s baseline, he confirmed, “Roughly.” However, no final decisions have been made yet.
Republican majorities in both the House and Senate are working to enshrine large portions of President Donald Trump’s agenda using the budget reconciliation process.
This maneuver lowers the Senate passage threshold from 60 votes to just 51, allowing Republicans to bypass Democrat obstruction—so long as the legislation pertains to budgetary and fiscal matters. The House, already governed by a simple majority threshold, is positioned to move quickly.
But internal disagreements over spending cut targets have slowed House Republicans’ ambitious timeline. Their goal is to send a finalized bill to Trump’s desk by May, yet finding common ground on a baseline for cuts has proven to be a major hurdle.
The House Budget Committee was expected to advance an initial reconciliation resolution this week. However, spending hawks on the panel derailed that plan after rejecting House GOP leaders’ initial proposal of $300 billion in federal funding rollbacks.
They also dismissed a higher offer nearing $900 billion, Fox News Digital reported.
Scalise confirmed Tuesday night that leadership is now aiming for next week to advance the bill out of the House Budget Committee.
Conservative lawmakers who spoke with Fox News Digital expressed skepticism that the spending cuts would go much deeper than the agreed-upon baseline. However, Republican leaders maintain that additional opportunities for cuts will remain on the table.
Scalise also emphasized that negotiators are navigating spending projections from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), a nonpartisan agency whose estimates have frequently drawn Republican criticism.
“There are a lot of numbers floating around. I mean, you know, CBO’s got their numbers, and we’ve had real issues with them, because CBO has been wrong so many times, but yet you still have to start with their numbers,” Scalise said.
“And then, you know, what kind of economic growth are you gonna get if you have better energy policy and better regulatory policy? And those are real factors. And our members recognize that, but, you know, you’ve got to come to an agreement on what is that growth factor gonna be? What’s a fair number?”
GOP negotiators met Tuesday evening to strategize the path forward. A source familiar with the discussions said Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., did not commit to any specific plan, and talks are still ongoing.
Republicans are aiming to use reconciliation to pass key Trump priorities, including more border security funding, the elimination of taxes on tipped and overtime wages, increased defense spending, and pro-fossil fuel energy measures.
The House had originally planned to pass its reconciliation bill first, but delays have raised concerns that the Senate could move ahead with its own version instead. Senate Republicans have signaled they are prepared to act if House infighting continues to slow progress.
Asked about the possibility of the Senate taking the lead, Speaker Johnson dismissed the idea outright. “Senate will not take the lead. We’re going to, and we’re right on schedule,” he told reporters Tuesday.
Scalise echoed that confidence, insisting that pushing the committee markup to next week would not derail the GOP’s overall timeline.
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