Legislating isn’t always pretty, but it’s the results that matter. And after a series of ups and downs and highs and lows, House Republicans got pretty results Tuesday night.
Tuesday night’s anticipated budget resolution vote almost didn’t happen, and then, when it appeared it would take place, it was canceled.
The cancelation was short-term, and House Republicans received a victory they’ll surely savor as long as they can – which might not be for long..
The budget resolution passed earlier in February by the House Budget Committee deals with tax, border, defense, and energy policy, as well as increasing the debt ceiling. The resolution is a necessary step to continue the more difficult process of passing a budget reconciliation bill through which laws dealing with those issues – and unlocking Trump’s legislative agenda – can be changed.
The drama in the House chamber – where members usually squeeze in through throngs of reporters, vote electronically while chatting with colleagues, and then spring home or to happy hours – was a marked contrast to most votes. Where most voting outcomes are predetermined, passage of Tuesday’s planned budget resolution vote – or even if it would take place at all – was up in the air throughout the day.
Republican leadership originally scheduled a vote on two unrelated provisions to be followed by a third vote on passage of the budget resolution.
At about 6:15 p.m. ET, the House began the first vote that eventually ended in an overwhelming 427 to 3 margin. But Republican leaders kept that 15-minute vote open for almost an hour while pressuring a handful of conservative lawmakers hesitant to support the budget resolution.
After 7:00, leadership closed the first vote, quickly held a 15-minute vote on the second, and announced that the third scheduled vote on the budget resolution was canceled.
But within minutes, apparently sensing shifting political winds, Republican leadership announced a budget reconciliation vote would begin immediately.
Leaders held that 15-minute vote open for forty minutes while continuing to pressure lawmakers.
Ultimately, the bill passed 217 to 213, with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) the only Republican nay.
Three Democrats did not vote, although they would not have changed the outcome.
A flurry of press releases from Republicans followed the vote, touting Trump’s support of the package. Earlier in the day, Trump had called several recalcitrant lawmakers to ensure passage of a procedural vote to allow the evening vote on the underlying budget resolution itself.
The bill was a victory for Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN), and Conference Chair Lisa McClain (R-MI), who used Trump’s support of the resolution – and Trump’s direct influence – to ensure its passage.
“This momentum will grow as we work with our committee chairs and Senate Republicans to determine the best policies within their respective jurisdictions to meet budgetary targets,” they said in a joint statement that undersold how difficult that process will be. “We have full confidence in their ability to chart the best path forward.
Trump has favored the House approach of one reconciliation bill, while Senate Republican leadership favors breaking the bill into two parts.
“Both resolutions advance the Trump agenda, the Senate in a much more limited way, obviously dependent upon a second resolution at some point in the future,” Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD) told Breitbart News Tuesday before the vote. “The House does it all in one in one package.”
Harris, chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, called the final negotiated resolution “the best product we could get, because on both sides of the conference, there are some concerns, and that’s usually [ where] you have to end up if we hope to achieve it with Republican only votes.”
Ultimately, Trump and leadership sold recalcitrant lawmakers on the notion that the resolution is simply a blueprint for reconciliation, through which lawmakers will craft policy changes. While that line makes a good talking point, ultimately changing the spending levels from those outlined in the budget resolution will be a heavy lift.
And while House committees barrel forward, the Senate, which passed the first of its two-part budget reconciliation earlier, has a head start.
For now, Trump seems content to let each chamber work on its own preferred packages, smartly letting each hash things out instead of micromanaging the process.
Ultimately, Trump cares more about the results than whether it’s one bill or two bills.
Trump’s focus on securing the desired end result is fortunate, because the process will not be pretty.
Bradley Jaye is Deputy Political Editor for Breitbart News. Follow him on X/Twitter and Instagram @BradleyAJaye.
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