The House's top tax writer was reportedly none-too-pleased with Republicans in the opposite chamber on Wednesday, who opted to jump ahead of them on kicking off Trump's MAGA agenda.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), the chamber's budget chair, expects GOP senators "to mark up a defense-border-energy resolution next week in the Senate Budget Committee," reported Punchbowl News report John Bresnahan. Fellow Punchbowl colleague Jake Sherman called it "big news" that "the Senate has had enough and is jumping in front of the House on reconciliation."
The decision stems from a dispute over which chamber will get the final say on how to push the legislation through Congress. Graham has said he prefers to break the MAGA agenda into two bills, while House Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith prefers one, as it's the only way to get it through the House, Politico reported Wednesday.
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Smith told the outlet Graham's proposal will "never pass here."Smith, a Missouri Republican, said in an interview that Graham's bill "would never pass here."
"[Graham] can control what he does in his chamber, and we can control what we can do in our chamber. It’s kind of unfortunate that he’s going to go through a practice that doesn’t accomplish anything,“ Smith told Politico.
Smith's remarks echoed earlier sentiments from House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), who gently pushed back on his "good friend" Graham.
“[T]he House needs to lead this if we're going to have success. So we're very comfortable about where we are," he said.
House Republicans hope a single, large bill would address tax cuts, border regulations, debt ceiling, and energy policies. It also has the support of President Donald Trump, who has said he prefers one big "beautiful" bill.
