Tensions flare as GOP stymied in advancing Trump legislative agenda

Tensions flared during a House GOP conference meeting Wednesday as the group struggles to unite around a plan to pass President Trump's legislative agenda, delaying Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) ambitious timeline for considering the sprawling measure.

Those frustrations — which have been percolating throughout the conference over the past week — rose to the surface at Wednesday’s closed-door gathering, which one House Republican described as “predictably emotional.”

“Members, representing districts with different priorities differ on how to tax, spend and address the deficit,” the lawmaker added.

In one of the more tense moments, Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus and close Trump ally, spoke out about his frustrations with how the reconciliation process has been handled, according to one House GOP lawmaker.

Republicans are looking to use a process known as budget reconciliation to pass Trump’s agenda because it allows them to circumvent Democratic opposition in the Senate. In order to be successful, however, the House GOP conference must have near unanimity — a difficult task for the ideologically diverse group that holds a razor-thin majority.

Donalds said leadership has to make a play call.

“He expressed a personal frustration, which I agree with, of there is literally no time to waste,” the lawmaker said of Donalds’s remarks. “I think Byron expressed the angst of a lot of folks.”

Another House Republican echoed that sentiment following the conference meeting, pressing leadership to make a decision on a path forward.

“Tensions are rising,” the GOP lawmaker told The Hill. “S--- or get off the pot. What are we doing? We've all known this for a while, but it is, it’s like c’mon, let's do this.”

Johnson hoped House Republicans would finalize a blueprint for a budget resolution — which unlocks the reconciliation process — during their retreat in Florida last week, then advance the legislation through the Budget Committee this week. Disagreements over the level of spending cuts, however, have stymied that process, forcing leadership to punt the planned markup. Leadership put forward an initial budget resolution that featured a $500 billion tax cut floor, which hard-line conservatives — some of whom are seeking overall cuts of $2 trillion to $5 trillion — rejected.

Departing the Capitol after a reconciliation meeting Tuesday night, House Minority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) said the markup would not happen this week.

In comments to reporters after the conference meeting, Donalds said Republicans are “stuck in the mud." The GOP lawmaker also said he favors a two-bill reconciliation strategy rather than a single measure, breaking with Johnson and siding with many Senate Republicans.

“I think there’s a lot of, what do they call it, paralysis of analysis, and I think at this point we need to just make a clear decision,” Donalds said. “I agree with a lot of people in the Senate, we need to go to a two-bill strategy. And I think what it’ll do is give us the time to do the things that we must do.”

Donalds went on to criticize Republicans for blaming hard-line conservatives — including Reps. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) — for the hang-ups. Roy and Norman sit on the House Budget Committee and were vocal opponents of the initial budget resolution put forward by leadership.

“I think the thing that frustrates me more is, I think people are seeing ghosts,” Donalds said. “It’s a boxing term, people are seeing ghosts in that room that don’t exist, and I think they need to be realistic and factual about where the issues are and what the contours are to get a deal done in the House, versus bringing up boogeymen that do not exist.”

“Blaming Chip and blaming Ralph is not true, simply not true. People saying that SALT, we can’t get a SALT deal, is not true,” he added, referring to state and local tax deductions. “So to hold those two up as a boogeyman, or blaming Freedom Caucus members for why you can’t get a deal done is not true, fundamentally not true.”

After the meeting, Johnson told Politico he had "assured" Donalds that Republicans are "moving forward toward the final decision."

Wednesday’s gathering came less than 24 hours after a diverse group of House Republicans met for hours in the Capitol to discuss a path forward on reconciliation. Scalise said Republicans raised the floor for cuts from what leaders presented at last week’s retreat, which featured ranges that each committee was tasked to come up with to offset the cost of priorities in the bill.

“We have gone back to each committee to increase those numbers,” Scalise said, signaling $1 trillion in cuts was realistic.

Aside from reconciliation, the fast-approaching March 14 government funding deadline also came up during Wednesday’s meeting, lawmakers told The Hill. One House Republican said that when a member asserted a continuing resolution would be needed to avoid a shutdown next month, the room went silent.

Another House Republican suggested that leaders should commit to holding funding at the same level after the March 14 deadline before moving ahead with reconciliation.

“We should not be talking about defense and border funding in reconciliation without a recognition we’re going to hold appropriations flat,” the lawmaker said. “I’d say cut appropriations, but we got to get through Democrats in the Senate. We can hold it flat for a CR.”

Updated at 4:15 pm EST.

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