House Speaker Mike Johnson criticized “flailing” Democrats on Sunday and pledged that the House of Representatives would match the aggressive pace of President Donald Trump’s executive orders with their legislative efforts. Johnson made these remarks during an appearance on “Fox News Sunday” with host Shannon Bream, emphasizing that Republicans are working to compile a massive budget plan requested by Trump.
“We’re going to secure the border, we’re going to make sure that American communities are safe. We’re going to get American energy dominance going again in the economy and restore common sense,” Johnson said. He added, “But to do all that in one big bill takes a little bit of time. So we’re working through that process very productively. We’ve been building on this for a year, Shannon. All through last year, we had our committees of jurisdiction working on the ideas to put it together.”
Johnson also noted that the House Budget Committee’s markup, initially planned for the following week, might be delayed slightly to ensure all details are addressed. “Remember that I have the smallest margin in history, about a two-vote margin currently. So I’ve got to make sure everyone agrees before we bring the project forward, that final product, and we’ve got a few more boxes to check, but we’re getting very, very close,” he explained.
The budget bill process has faced internal challenges, with Republican spending hawks pushing for at least $2.5 trillion in spending cuts. Tensions reportedly surfaced during a closed-door meeting last week, where conservatives demanded a concrete plan and higher spending cuts than initially proposed. One GOP lawmaker described the meeting as having “heated exchanges,” adding, “I think there’s a lot of frustration right now. They’ve been trying to be inclusive, but not every open forum they’ve offered is giving members the ability to say, ‘I feel like people are listening to me,’ because I don’t know that’s the case right now.”
Conservative members of the House Budget Committee, including Reps. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), have insisted on setting the baseline for spending cuts at approximately $2.5 trillion. The ongoing negotiations highlight the challenges of uniting the Republican caucus around a comprehensive budget plan.
