How Trump's agenda just took a big step forward on Capitol Hill
WASHINGTON − Less than three days ago, House Republicans were well past their self-imposed deadline to come up with a blueprint to pass President Donald Trump's agenda through Congress.
Now, they have that plan, they've passed it through a key committee and they appear to have secured the support of ultraconservative members who threatened to derail it.
Reps. Chip Roy, R-Texas, and Ralph Norman, R-S.C., spoke glowingly about the plan at a House Budget Committee hearing Thursday, where the plan advanced 21-16 with their support after they'd cast doubt on it Wednesday.
"The American people expect us to do our job, balance the budget and stop spending money we don't have," Roy said. "I'm proud of what the chairman has put forward. I believe that it is responsible."
To bring conservative members of the House Freedom Caucus like Roy and Norman on board, GOP leaders tweaked their initial plan to require lawmakers to find $2 trillion in federal cost savings over 10 years.
If they fail to reach that goal, Republicans would have to pare back their planned $4.5 trillion in tax cuts by an equal amount, reducing the overall cost of the package, which has been a concern for fiscal conservatives. Conversely, if lawmakers find larger cost savings, they can pass larger tax cuts.
For example, if lawmakers find $1.5 trillion in cost savings, they can only pass $4 trillion in tax cuts. If they find $2.5 trillion in cost savings, they can pass $5 trillion in tax cuts.
The deal reflects a push-and-pull between House Republicans' Freedom Caucus, which has been loath to increase the size of the federal deficit, and House Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., who is leading efforts to implement Trump's sweeping tax plan.
It's the start of a delicate balance Republicans will have to strike as they seek to shepherd Trump's agenda through Congress.
In the House, Republicans' five-person majority is already one of the smallest margins of power in modern history. But for the next few months, they will be dealing with only a two- or three-person majority as they fill seats left by various members who retired or joined the Trump administration, giving each member the power to cause major disruptions.
The blueprint passed through committee Thursday "merely unlocks the ability to do the next step," Rep. Nick LaLota, R-N.Y., who represents a swingy district with a lot at stake in tax negotiations, told NBC. "The next step is where we may disagree more substantively."
Still, individual members across the political spectrum who want deeper spending cuts or more generous tax policies will be under immense pressure to forgo those concerns and sign off on Trump's plan.
The Senate Budget Committee passed its own blueprint for Trump's agenda on Wednesday that would focus primarily on border security and defense policy, rather than taxes, which the members will try to pass separately.
The House and the Senate must agree on a plan to unlock the mechanism that allows Trump's agenda to move forward without Democratic support. But if the House can squeeze its plan through incredibly tight margins, the Senate will be hard-pressed to refuse it.