GOP lawmakers already divided over sweeping Trump policy bill

Source: Politico

12/04/2024 01:18 PM EST


Congressional Republicans are clashing over sweeping legislation on taxes, energy and immigration that will be the heart of President-elect Donald Trump’s legislative agenda — underscoring the hurdles ahead as the party tries to unify amid thin margins.

Incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune sparked heartburn across the Capitol this week when he told GOP senators that the package, which under budget reconciliation rules would allow the GOP to bypass a Democratic filibuster, would be split into two parts. The first would focus on border and energy, with a goal to pass it in the first 30 days of the new Trump administration, and the second on tax. Speaker Mike Johnson quickly endorsed the two-step strategy, though he noted leaders were still working out what would be included in each package.

But a number of House Republicans, including committee chairs key to pulling off the plan, are already raising red flags over the strategy, saying they don’t feel the need to stick to that. The disconnect illustrates the challenge that Republican leaders will have next term: They can preach unity, but they have no room for error as they wrangle at-times raucous members with varied priorities.

“Our members need to weigh in on that. This doesn’t need to be a decision that’s made upon high, okay?” said House Budget Chair Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) about the two-step strategy. “We’re all unified around the objectives, [but] how we roll it out, the tactics and strategies, still under discussion.”

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2024/12/04/trump-policy-bill-gop-divided-00192595