House Republican leadership abruptly postponed a vote on the Senate’s budget resolution Wednesday, dealing a blow to former President Donald Trump’s legislative priorities. The decision followed hours of internal negotiations and rising tension among GOP factions over the scope of spending cuts.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) met privately with conservative holdouts for roughly an hour before announcing the delay, saying more time was needed to work through disagreements. “We’re going to try to move this tomorrow,” Johnson said to reporters, emphasizing that discussions had been “very constructive.” He added that the House is considering either adding an amendment or going to conference with the Senate.
Trump, 78, had made a direct appeal to Republican lawmakers just a day earlier, urging them to support the resolution even if they had concerns. “Close your eyes and get there,” he reportedly told them, arguing that progress could be made on their demands later.
Johnson confirmed he spoke with Trump prior to delaying the vote.
The divide between House and Senate Republicans has been simmering for weeks, largely centered around how aggressively to cut spending as part of the broader Trump legislative package, which includes sweeping tax reforms, energy policy changes, and enhanced border security.
To move the Trump agenda forward, both chambers must pass the same budget resolution, which is key to unlocking the reconciliation process in the Senate — a tool that would allow Republicans to pass the final bill with a simple majority, bypassing a potential Democratic filibuster.
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While Trump and House GOP leaders have insisted the blueprint is just a first step and that major spending cuts can still be achieved later, some conservative lawmakers remain unconvinced.
“I had a very good meeting today with the Speaker of the House and some of our more Conservative Members, all great people,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I AM FOR MAJOR SPENDING CUTS! WE ARE GOING TO DO REDUCTIONS, hopefully in excess of $1 Trillion Dollars… But we must get the Bill approved NOW.”
However, members like Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) continue to push back, arguing the party should not rush the process. “There is time to get a much more beautiful deal done in line with what our voters expect!” Roy said, noting that markets were already responding positively to Trump’s trade posture toward China.
The House initially passed its own budget plan in February, which called for $1.5 trillion in mandatory spending reductions, with an overall target of cutting $2 trillion. The Senate, trying to balance demands from moderates and fiscal hawks, adopted a different resolution last week, including dual sets of instructions for both chambers — with Senate cuts totaling just $4 billion.
There are major policy discrepancies as well. The Senate version aims to make the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act permanent, eliminate taxes on tips, overtime, and Social Security benefits, and expand the state and local tax (SALT) deduction — an agenda that could cost as much as $5.3 trillion. By contrast, the House blueprint only permits a $4.5 trillion increase in the deficit for tax cuts, without detailing which tax proposals might be excluded.
Other sticking points include border security and defense spending. The Senate plan technically sets aside $350 billion for border efforts but only intends to use $175 billion, while the House proposes a more direct $200 billion allocation. The Senate also includes a $150 billion increase for defense, compared to the House’s $100 billion boost.
Speaker Johnson is aiming to pass the budget resolution before the House’s Easter recess and hopes to deliver a finalized legislative package to Trump by Memorial Day.
