Trump budget bill getting House vote next week, Mike Johnson says
Trump Budget Bill Getting House Vote Next Week, Mike Johnson Says
Washington, D.C., April 5, 2025 – House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) confirmed Saturday that a budget resolution paving the way for President Donald Trump’s sweeping legislative agenda will hit the House floor for a vote next week, targeting Wednesday or Thursday. Speaking to reporters at the Capitol at 11:00 a.m. PDT, Johnson said, “We are gonna vote on it,” signaling a push to unlock a multitrillion-dollar package blending $4.5 trillion in tax cuts with $2 trillion in spending reductions—despite internal GOP friction and a Democratic wall of opposition. The move, backed by Trump’s endorsement, sets up a high-stakes showdown as the Nasdaq reels from a 10% tariff-driven drop this week.
A Razor-Thin Path Forward
Johnson’s announcement follows a chaotic February 25 vote where the House narrowly passed a similar GOP budget blueprint, 217-215, with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) as the lone Republican dissenter, per NBC News. That resolution—teed up via reconciliation to dodge a Senate filibuster—promised Trump’s “America First” priorities: extending his 2017 tax cuts, boosting border security, and slashing federal spending. Now, with the Senate’s competing plan passed last week splitting tax and defense into two bills, Johnson’s doubling down on a unified “big, beautiful bill,” as Trump dubbed it on Truth Social in February.
The timeline’s tight. Posts on X from Wednesday flagged Johnson’s intent to vote next week despite a “meltdown over proxy voting,” a procedural snag that’s forced leadership to rethink strategy. “Still discussing how it gets to the floor,” he told reporters, per an X update, hinting at ongoing wrangling. With a 218-215 GOP majority—assuming all vote—Johnson can lose just one Republican if Democrats hold firm, a feat he pulled off in February with Trump’s last-minute calls flipping holdouts like Reps. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) and Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.), per CBS News.
Tariff Chaos as Backdrop
Trump’s April 2 tariffs—10% across the board, 20% on the EU, and 54% on China—frame the urgency. Markets are bleeding: Apple’s down 14%, Tesla 9.2%, and Nigeria’s naira hit N1,600/$1 Saturday, per Nairametrics. The budget bill’s tax cuts aim to offset tariff pain for U.S. firms, but its $880 billion in mandated cuts to programs like Medicaid—overseen by the Energy and Commerce Committee—stir GOP unease. “Significant opposition” to the Senate’s leaner plan looms, an X post warned today, with House hardliners like Massie likely to balk again— Elon Musk even chimed in February, replying “That sounds bad” to Massie’s deficit gripes.
Johnson’s unfazed, banking on Trump’s clout. “The president’s a big help,” he said in February, per Forbes, and Trump’s February 26 Truth Social post hailed the last vote as a “Big First Step Win.” Yet, moderates like Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) demand Medicaid safeguards— “We’re not cutting benefits, period,” he told Washington Examiner—while conservatives push deeper cuts. Democrats, led by Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), vow a united “no,” blasting it as “the largest Medicaid cut in history,” per POLITICO.
What’s Next?
If Johnson muscles this through—likely Wednesday, April 9, or Thursday, April 10—the Senate’s on deck. Reconciliation demands both chambers align, but the Senate’s two-bill tack (border/defense now, taxes later) clashes with Johnson’s all-in-one vision. “We’re very close,” he claimed Friday on CNBC, dodging specifics on holdouts. Failure risks stalling Trump’s agenda—tariff relief, border funds, and tax breaks—amid a March 14 shutdown deadline and a summer debt ceiling cliff. For now, Johnson’s betting on handshakes, Trump’s calls, and a prayer to keep his slim majority in line.
If you’d like me to zoom in—like on GOP dissent or Senate odds—let me know! What’s your angle?
