House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks during a news conference at the Capitol on May 6, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr., File)
After the bill advances through the budget committee, Johnson said the plan is to move the legislative package to the House Rules Committee by mid-week and then to the House floor by the end of the week "so we meet our initial, our original Memorial Day deadline."
"It’s very important for people to understand why we’re being so aggressive on the timetable and why this really is so important," Johnson said. "This is the vehicle through which we will deliver on the mandate the American people gave us during the last election. You’re going to have historic savings for the American people, historic tax relief for American workers, historic investments in border security.
"At the same time, we’re restoring American energy dominance, and we’re rebuilding the defense industrial base, and we’re ensuring that programs like Medicaid and SNAP are strengthened for U.S. citizens who need and deserve them and not being squandered away by illegal aliens and persons who are ineligible to receive them and are cheating the system," he added.
Johnson reiterated that making Trump’s 2017 tax cuts permanent by 2026 is critical and stressed that the package also eliminates taxes on overtime and tips – a 2024 Trump campaign promise. He said it also includes new tax relief for seniors on Social Security and cuts taxes on "job creators, so that will help everybody across the country at the same time as incentivizing American-made production and manufacturing."
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, listens during a mark-up meeting with the House Budget Committee on Capitol Hill on May 16, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
"We are. This is our opportunity to do it. It’s once in a generation, as I’ve said, and we can’t squander it," Johnson said.
The speaker said that while he is confident he will be able to reach a compromise on the Medicaid work requirement to squash internal disputes, Republican leadership does not expect a single Democrat to vote for the bill.
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"Which means that they will be on record apparently supporting the largest tax increase in U.S. history, which is what will happen by default after the end of this year if we do not get this job done. We have to accomplish this mission, and we will.," Johnson said.
Danielle Wallace is a breaking news and politics reporter at Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to danielle.wallace@fox.com and on X: @danimwallace.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/johnson-pushes-aggressive-timetable-house-pass-trumps-budget-bill-gop-mutiny-we-cannot-fail