House Approves Budget Blueprint to Advance Trump’s Domestic Agenda

What Happened?

The House adopted a multitrillion-dollar budget framework Thursday to advance President Donald Trump’s agenda after a last-minute scramble.

The narrow vote of 216-214 marked a big win for House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) in his efforts to push forward an aggressive timeline of priorities.

Reps. Thomas Massie (Ky.) and Victoria Spartz (Ind.) were the only Republicans who voted against the measure.

About a dozen House conservatives reportedly flipped their stances after receiving assurances that the Senate would pursue $1.5 trillion in savings.

The Senate-passed budget blueprint had called for a minimum of just $4 billion in spending cuts, which many conservative members had opposed.

'Our first big, beautiful reconciliation package here involves a number of commitments,' Johnson told reporters. 'One of those is that we are committed to finding at least $1.5 trillion in savings for the American people while also preserving our essential programs.'

Senate Majority Leader John Thune added that the Senate is 'aligned with the House in terms of what their budget resolution outlined in terms of savings.'

Why it Matters

Many now say the tough road begins as congressional leaders must work together with the domestic policy priorities in mind of the Trump administration.

These decisions will consist of spending cuts, tax cut extensions, and the cap on the state and local tax deduction, among other key details that President Trump has pushed for.

Trump took to Truth Social to congratulate House members on the passage of a bill that 'sets the stage for one of the greatest and most important signings in the history of our country.'

He added, 'Among many other things, it will be the largest tax and regulation cuts ever even contemplated.'

Speaker Johnson had scrapped a vote on the budget plan Wednesday night after conservative holdouts reportedly huddled privately for more than an hour.

After reconvening Thursday, a breakthrough had come to pass amid the previous standoff.

Congressmembers now look to address the nation's deficit with more savings in mind and preserve essential programs for the American people.

How it Affects You

Both chambers will now work on drafting the final legislative product.

Johnson has said Congress will achieve savings without targeting popular entitlement programs like Medicare and Medicaid.

But others like Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called the GOP budget a 'heist.'

'Heist in public — this is a heist on Medicaid, a heist on Medicare recipients, a heist on public health care in order to continue to finance Elon Musk's defense contracts,' Rep. Ocasio-Cortez told NPR.

South Carolina Rep. Ralph Norman said Congress would release a public outline giving the 'buckets' of where the cuts would come from.

It remains unclear how much Republicans will vote to raise the debt limit to target these cuts.