Trump endorses House budget plan amid competing proposals in Congress

Washington — President Trump endorsed House Republicans’ budget proposal that would enact trillions of dollars in spending reductions and tax cuts in a single bill, saying on Wednesday that he prefers that approach over the Senate’s competing two-bill plan.

“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,'” Mr. Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “It will, without question, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

The president praised House and Senate Republicans, saying they’re doing a “SPECTACULAR job of working together as one unified, and unbeatable.” But he said the Senate proposal would address just part of his agenda to begin, while the House’s proposal would address it in its entirety. Both approaches would rely on a process known as budget reconciliation that allows legislation to pass the Senate with a simple majority.

Senate Republicans, led by Senate Budget Committee Chair Lindsey Graham, have been pursuing a two-bill plan, which leaves the extension of Mr. Trump’s 2017 tax cuts for a later date in order to quickly increase funding for border security and defense. But House Republicans have argued that passing two pieces of legislation carries a wider margin for error, given the narrow GOP majority in the lower chamber.

Mr. Trump’s announcement came after Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the Senate would move forward this week with its proposal on the Senate floor, after both the House and Senate advanced their resolutions out of committee last week. The Senate had deferred to the House for weeks to kickstart the process, but began pushing ahead earlier this month. 

Thune told reporters after Mr. Trump’s announcement that the Senate is still “planning to proceed” with its resolution this week, but he noted that they hope to hear more from Vice President JD Vance during a lunch meeting on Wednesday. Thune said he didn’t speak with the president ahead of the endorsement, and that he “did not see that one coming,” referring to the president’s post.

The president’s endorsement follows months of back and forth over the path forward. Though Mr. Trump initially indicated support for a single-bill approach, he had appeared to step back from weighing in on the process in recent weeks, making clear his support for approving his agenda — no matter the approach.