Speaker Johnson faced a setback in his attempt to pass a budget resolution through the House. Hard-right Republicans refused to support the measure, dealing a blow to Johnson’s strategy. He announced a vote would likely occur the following day.
A small group of lawmakers sought more assurances that the Senate would provide deeper spending cuts than required by the resolution. Mr. Trump lobbied hard for the measure, hosting holdouts at the White House and assuring them of deeper cuts in final legislation.
Ultraconservative Republicans insisted the legislation did not require steep enough cuts. They met with Senator John Thune about an hour before the scheduled vote but did not reach a breakthrough. In order to move along the reconciliation process, the House and Senate must adopt the same budget resolution.
The Senate’s plan directed committees to find minimal spending cuts compared to the House’s approved amount. Conservatives fear agreeing to the Senate’s measure would force them to accept smaller cuts than desired.
— new from The New York Times