House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Los Angeles, told Republican lawmakers on Saturday that President-elect Trump supports a sweeping overhaul of conservative politics through one big bill, three sources told Fox News Digital.
Trump wants the House and Senate to have such a bill on his desk by May, the sources said. The president-elect's endorsement would likely end growing friction within the party over how to pass Republican goals next year through a process known as “reconciliation,” which lawmakers plan to use to pass conservative policy and budget changes.
House Republicans met behind closed doors at Fort McNair, Washington, on Saturday to discuss the plan.
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House Speaker Mike Johnson revealed to Republicans in a closed meeting that President-elect Trump wants one reconciliation bill. (AP/Getty)
Reconciliation allows the Senate to exceed the traditional 60-vote threshold for a simple majority, provided that legislation focuses on budget and other fiscal matters.
Both parties have traditionally used reconciliation to pass broad policy changes in a single bill. But the legislation also undergoes rigorous evaluation as the Senate parliamentarian is tasked with determining what is and is not relevant to US financial matters.
Notably, Democrats have previously tried to use reconciliation Pass comprehensive amnesty proceduresbut they were banned.
Republicans may face similar problems as they seek to add border security provisions to the bill. They also aim to use it to extend the Trump Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017, as well as to pass measures on energy and defense.
Johnson's apparent decision on Saturday comes after Republicans in Congress were at loggerheads over whether to pass one or two reconciliation bills.
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New Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he wanted two reconciliation bills last year. (Reuters)
It's a process typically used once a year, but Senate Majority Leader John Thune put forward a plan last month to split Republican priorities into two bills — one dealing with the border and defense and a second aimed at preserving Trump's interests. Tax policy.
The plan also has the support of Trump's senior adviser Stephen Miller.
But that pressure has angered Republicans on the House Ways and Means Committee, who warn that the two reconciliation bills could be too big a boost, putting taxes in second place. It could be dangerous The remaining GOP tax provisions are set to expire at the end of this year.
Congress has not passed two reconciliation bills into law in one year since 1997, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., noted on Fox Business' “Morning with Mariah.”
“I'm saying we need a reconciliation bill that includes borders, energy, permits and taxes. If you put those four things together, we can get there,” Smith said.
Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith called for one bill. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
The committee issued a memo last month warning that ordinary Americans could see a 22% tax increase if Trump's tax policies end.
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But other lawmakers bristled at the idea that it would be impossible to introduce two bills.
“I think we need to prove to the American people that we really can,” House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., told Fox News Digital last month. Defending our borders. The bottom line is I think they need to be on almost parallel paths. “But I think taxes are much more complicated.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to Thune and Smith's offices for comment. Thune's office responded and declined to comment, and Smith's office did not immediately respond.
