Republican Questions Mike Johnson’s Plan to Pass Trump Budget Bill

Florida Representative Byron Donalds, a Republican, has questioned Speaker of the House Mike Johnson’s plan to pass a budget blueprint approved by the Senate after a vote on the matter was delayed.

Newsweek previously contacted Johnson by email to comment on bill’s delay.

Why It Matters

On Wednesday night, the House of Representatives did not vote on a budget bill supported by President Donald Trump after some Republicans expressed dissatisfaction with it, meaning it had to be postponed. The bill was a fiscal plan that would have supported Trump’s agenda.

What To Know

The Senate version of the budget blueprint, which was approved last week, supported billions of dollars’ worth of proposed tax cuts, as well as additional funding for the U.S. military and border security. It would also raise the U.S. debt ceiling by up to $5 trillion.

Trump encouraged the House to pass it, but it has ruffled some hard-line Republicans’ feathers because it has fewer spending cuts than the version the House passed in February.

Representatives would have to pass the bill back to the Senate if they amended it in any way. Around a dozen members of the House expressed concerns about how the plan would reduce the deficit, causing discontent.

Donalds told Raw Story he was unsure of the Senate passing the bill: “My view is the Senate resolution wasn’t the best vehicle to get this done.” He added that Trump is “earnest in his desire” to get the budget passed and that “we’ll get there eventually.”

What People Are Saying

Utah Republican Representative Eric Burleson, who held out on the vote also said members “don’t trust the Senate.”

Representative Andy Ogles,a Tennessee Republican,told CNN: “I trust the president, but I don’t trust the Senate. They’re a key part of this conversation.”

Republican Representative Chip Roy of Texas posted on X, formerly Twitter: “I’m not here for aspirations. The Senate’s bill does not add up—it’s all tax cuts with no spending cuts which = deficits.”

But Wisconsin Representative Derrick Van Orden criticized fellow GOP members who delayed the vote. “There’s a group of people in my conference who have lost their way, and they have forgotten that the mission is America. It’s not their social media followers,” he said, according to ABC. “Let them go home and sleep on this and understand that they are destroying President Trump’s agenda on purpose.”

What Happens Next

Johnson said the House will try to vote on the bill again Thursday before the House goes on a two-week April recess.

“This is part of the process,” he said according to Fox News’ Chad Pergram. “This is a very constructive process. I’m very optimistic about the outcome of this. This one big, beautiful bill, and this is just one of the steps in getting there.

“We want everybody to have a high degree of comfort about what is happening here, and we have a small subset of members who weren’t totally satisfied with the product as it stands.”