SALT Caucus Republicans are firing a warning shot to the Senate as it considers President Trump's budget bill. (Getty/AP)
"Hardworking families we represent are penalized by the SALT cap, and this deal keeps the President’s commitment to fix this issue and has the support of firefighters, police, small businesses and working Americans who keep our country moving."
House Republicans can afford little dissent with their razor-thin majority to still pass the bill again, if the Senate returned a modified version – something the SALT caucus pointed out.
"The Senate would be remiss to forget that the path to 218 — and delivering for the American people — runs through the SALT Caucus," the statement read.
The House-passed budget reconciliation bill – aimed at advancing Trump's priorities on tax, energy, defense, immigration, and the national debt – raises the SALT deduction cap to $40,000.
Republicans are working on the bill as the national debt climbs past $36 trillion.
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., a SALT Caucus member and one of the House's GOP tax-writers, sent in a statement to Fox News Digital, "The State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction negotiated in the House should NOT be altered by the Senate. It’s a Republican principle to allow taxpayers to keep more of their hard-earned money and taxpayers in New York and other SALT states deserve not to be double taxed by their government, especially when we also supported significant savings by rooting out waste, fraud & abuse in our states."
Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., who also fought for the increased cap, signaled he would not support the bill if the Senate reinstated the lower number.
SCOOP: HOUSE GOP MEMO HIGHLIGHTS REPUBLICAN WINS IN TRUMP'S 'BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL'
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has asked the Senate to leave the bill intact. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Still, Thune and Senate Republican leadership acknowledge that whatever tweaks and changes to the budget bill that they make have to pass muster with their colleagues in the House.
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Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters Thursday morning that he is still keeping SALT lawmakers "calm."
The speaker added that he had been urging the Senate to keep the House's bill intact.
"Look, the Senate Republicans are from red states, right? They feel the same way that I do about SALT, but I'm being very deliberate in reminding them that we have, again, this very delicate balance to maintain over here, and you've got to address the issue so that our members can take something home," Johnson said.
Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.
Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/blue-state-republicans-threaten-rebellion-senate-changes-key-provision-trumps-big-beautiful-bill