By Brendan Scanland
WASHINGTON, D.C. (WZMQ 19 News) — Tuesday evening, the House of Representatives narrowly passed a large budget framework to advance President Trump’s legislative agenda.
It was the first major legislative test for House Speaker Mike Johnson and Republican lawmakers in the 119th Congress.
“The American people made it clear in November: they want Congress to secure all of our nation’s borders, rein in wasteful spending, and expand American energy production. This budget resolution does just that,” said Rep. Mike Kelly (R- PA).
“While there is still much more to do, we are determined to send a bill to President Trump’s desk that secures our border, keeps taxes low for families and job creators, restores American energy dominance, strengthens America’s standing on the world stage, and makes government work more effectively for all Americans,” said Speaker Johnson after the vote.
Speaker Johnson worked with President Trump to persuade last-minute Republican holdouts up to the very last minute to get the resolution across the finish line. The measure was actually stalled at one point and pulled from the floor. Members were then told to go home because it appeared there was not enough Republican support to pass it. Minutes later, in a rare occurrence, GOP leadership called everyone back and brought the bill to the floor again before ultimately passing.
Getting the resolution through the House was a crucial step in the budget reconciliation process- the complicated and lengthy process that enables a party to pass legislation with a simple majority, or 51 votes, instead of the 60-vote threshold typically required for bills to pass the Senate. The reconciliation process can be used effectively when a party controls both chambers of Congress and the White House, in this case, it’s Republicans.
The House GOP budget framework instructs committees to draft legislation that cuts over $4 trillion in taxes, cuts close to $2 trillion in spending and raises the debt ceiling by $4 trillion.
Committees will have to find billions of dollars in cuts over the next decade. To achieve those cuts, Democrats say Republicans are going to target Medicaid, nutritional assistance and other key services.
“The GOP budget is a shameless tax giveaway to Elon Musk, paid for by newborns who need Medicaid, hungry families who need food, and nursing home residents who need round-the-clock care. I don’t know a single Upstate New Yorker who thinks billionaires deserve another break while the most vulnerable in our communities get screwed — I sure as hell don’t,” said Rep. Josh Riley (D- NY).
“Democrats are opposed to it because it blocks their opportunity to filibuster it in the Senate,” said Rep. Nick Langworthy (R- NY).
U.P. Congressman Jack Bergman (R- MI) sits on the House Budget Committee and helped craft the resolution.
“I voted for it because I was a part of the group that put it together over time. And I’m very proud. I would look anybody in the eye and say the process that occurred was number one, thoughtful and really deep into details, but with the higher guiding principle of getting something done that will work,” said Bergman.
Many House Republicans say they believe Trump when he said he does not wish to cut Medicaid, Medicare, nor Social Security. Bergman believes Democrats are using scare tactics.
“There has been no talk of cutting Medicare. None. Zero. No talk of cutting Social Security. This is a scare tactic used by the Democrats to scare the constituents. Pure and simple,” said Rep. Bergman. “They’re all about degrading our ability to govern because of the fact that they want control back in the House in 2026.”
Lawmakers will have to come up with the money somehow. If not from government programs and services, then where? Bergman says that question is up to the various committees that will be tasked with finalizing the numbers and details as they construct the massive package to fully implement Trump’s legislative agenda. The process could take weeks, even months.
