Johnson Hopes To Pass Most Of Trump’s Agenda With ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ by Memorial Day
House Speaker Mike Johnson shared his vision of passing a single "big, beautiful bill" by Memorial Day that would encompass much of President-elect Donald Trump’s proposed agenda.
During an appearance on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures, Johnson explained that Republicans aim to bundle numerous policy initiatives into a comprehensive reconciliation bill to bypass the 60-vote threshold typically required in the Senate for most legislation.
Under the reconciliation process, only 50 votes—a simple majority—are necessary for passage in the Senate.
“We’re 15 days out from the inauguration of President Donald J. Trump for his second term,” Johnson said. “And we want to make sure that we’re jump-starting the agenda now over the next two weeks, so that he’s prepared and ready on day one. We have a lot to do, as you know. And we have been putting all the plays together and figuring out the sequence of how we’re going to run those plays. And we’re really excited about it.”
Johnson noted that Trump prefers, as he puts it, “one big, beautiful bill.” He elaborated, “There’s a lot of merit to that, because we can put it all together, one big up-or-down vote, which can save the country, quite literally, because there are so many elements to it. And it’ll give us a little bit more time to negotiate that and get it right.”
When asked about a realistic timeline for delivering the bill to the president’s desk, Johnson responded confidently, “Certainly by May, yes.”
He further explained that Republicans are “targeting a vote in the House maybe in the first week of April,” potentially as early as April 3, before sending the measure to the Senate.
“That would put that bill on the president’s desk for signature by the end of April. That would be fantastic,” Johnson said. “And, in a worst-case scenario, Memorial Day.”
Johnson believes that combining multiple legislative priorities into one package reduces the likelihood of losing Republican support.
Addressing the president-elect’s broader agenda, Johnson emphasized their readiness. “We’re ready,” he stated. “Look, I think we’re going to get this done. Everybody here in the House Republican Conference understands the necessity of the moment, the urgency of the hour. They know we don’t have time for games and palace intrigue. We’ve got a lot of very important work to do. We have to deliver on the America First agenda.”
Johnson highlighted the mandate Republicans feel they have from voters. “We got a mandate in the election. President Trump got 77 million votes and House Republicans almost 75 million. That was a record for us. And that’s a message that we’ve got to stick together. And if we stay unified, no matter how small our margin—and it will be probably the smallest in U.S. history for a short period—we’ve got to get this done, and I think we will,” he concluded.