Trump picks 'big, beautiful' House budget over skinnier Senate plan

Roll Call Staff, CQ-Roll Call on Feb 19, 2025

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WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump put his thumb on the scales in favor of the House’s broader budget blueprint on Wednesday, in an attempt to clear up any lingering confusion about his position on that versus the version that senators brought to the Senate floor this week.

Trump praised the House’s budget resolution in a morning post on Truth Social, the social media platform he owns, writing that it was the path to enacting “my FULL America First agenda.” The House is out this week but GOP leaders are getting ready bring their resolution to the House floor as soon as next week. The House Budget Committee approved it on Feb. 13.

The Senate on Tuesday night set in motion a process that will culminate in a “vote-a-rama” later this week before final adoption of its fiscal 2025 budget. The Senate version aims to deliver an initial package of defense and border security spending and domestic energy production incentives using the reconciliation process, which avoids the usual 60-vote threshold to overcome a filibuster.

Senate Budget Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said the Senate resolution was the quickest way to deliver a big win to Trump and get immigration enforcement agencies the money they need before they run out.

But the Senate plan would wait until an undetermined time later in the year to pass an extension of Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, which are expiring at the end of this year. Critics of that strategy, including Trump and House GOP leaders, say it injects too much uncertainty for businesses and households and risks forcing the narrowly divided House to take a difficult, separate vote without the sweeteners of added military and immigration enforcement funds.

“We need both Chambers to pass the House Budget to ‘kickstart’ the Reconciliation process, and move all of our priorities to the concept of, ‘ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL.’ It will, without question, MAKE AMERICAN GREAT AGAIN!” Trump wrote.

It wasn’t immediate clear how Trump’s comments would affect the Senate votes later this week. But House GOP leaders have their own problems trying to get the House version ready for a floor vote, with centrists from swing districts opposed to cutting too deeply into Medicaid and food stamps.

Trump himself said in an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Tuesday night that Medicaid cuts should be off the table. “None of that stuff is going to be touched,” he said.

Vice President JD Vance was scheduled to attend Senate Republicans’ policy lunch on Wednesday, according to Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, where the topic was almost certain to come up.

Meanwhile, Democrats are making clear that they will use every opportunity in the weeks and months ahead to attack Republicans over their budget plans as a sop to the rich paid for with cuts to low-income programs and important government services.

Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., said on the floor Wednesday that the chamber will have a “long, drawn-out fight” over the budget.

“The debate we begin this week will spill into next week and the week after and go on possibly further,” Schumer said.