President Donald Trump has asked for one "big, beautiful bill" that would fund his agenda and the projects he seeks, including funding for his immigrant deportations and border security. However, deficit hawks are refusing to support any legislation that adds to the deficit.
Politico reported Wednesday that 32 House Republicans are demanding that the budget bill have strict cuts, even if that means Trump's agenda is not fully funded.
“Under the House’s framework, the reconciliation bill must not add to the deficit,” lawmakers said in a new letter to Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA).
The effort was led by Budget Committee Vice Chair Lloyd Smucker (R-PA), who was joined by several members of the Ways and Means Committee. Freedom Caucus members, like chair Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD), were also among those who signed the letter.
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For the past several months, the members of that group have maintained that they would not support any deficit spending.
Among the issues are the hefty tax cuts that Trump wants to extend from his first term. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that extending the tax cut would cost more than $4 trillion over the next decade.
Smucker requested that the leadership consider reducing the tax cut amount they were planning. He had an amendment that would allow such a cut if the GOP could also cut spending by $2 trillion.
“The House budget resolution assumes that enacting President Trump’s agenda, including extending the 2017 tax cuts, will generate $2.5 trillion in additional revenue through economic growth,” the letter said Wednesday. “This means that all additional tax cuts or increases in spending above this level must be offset.”
During the 2024 campaign, tech billionaire Elon Musk argued that he would be capable of cutting exactly $2 trillion if he were allowed to sort through "waste, fraud and abuse" in Washington. By December 2024, Musk said he would be able to cut $1 trillion if they aimed for $2 trillion. As of last month, Musk said he was able to cut just $160 billion, CNBC reported.
"Reducing the tax cuts below $4.5 trillion would significantly impair House Republicans’ ability to make Trump’s 2017 tax cuts permanent," said Politico's report. "It also would create potential conflict within the Ways and Means Committee itself: Chair Jason Smith (R-MO) has previously said he needs as much as $5.5 trillion to enact all of Trump’s priorities, but his own committee members — including Smucker and House Budget Chair Jodey Arrington (R-TX) — have been the main forces pushing that number lower."
Among the considerations to get to $2 trillion in cuts is slashing food assistance programs and Medicaid.
Republicans were going to hold committee meetings to markup the bill next week.
