Speaker Johnson Provides Positive Update On Passing Trump’s Agenda
House Speaker Mike Johnson says Republicans in Congress are still aiming to pass President Donald Trump’s tax legislation by Memorial Day, insisting Monday that the effort is on track despite some committee delays.
“Everybody remains in close coordination on the urgency of the hour, and we’re trying to get it done,” Johnson told reporters at the Capitol, according to Reuters. “If it’s not done before Memorial Day, it will be shortly thereafter. But our timetable is on pace.”
Though Johnson acknowledged the target date is “very ambitious,” he emphasized that GOP leaders haven’t encountered major obstacles, even as internal disagreements persist — particularly over potential trims to safety net programs like Medicaid.
Importantly, Johnson stressed that any proposed reductions aren’t about cutting benefits, but about rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse as flagged by the Department of Government Efficiency.
“It’s not a setback at all. In fact, I think it’s very productive,” Johnson said. “We would rather take another week and do it exactly right than rush it and have to adjust things later.”
A critical meeting with President Trump at the White House was cut short due to scheduling conflicts, which delayed final decisions on several key provisions of the bill.
On the Senate side, Republican lawmakers are watching the House process unfold while signaling they’re prepared to significantly modify whatever bill is sent their way.
Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) dismissed much of the House debate as political noise. “I shut most of that out because they debate a lot of stuff. I call it a sandstorm of bad ideas,” he told Semafor.
Moreno argued the GOP should remain laser-focused on the fundamentals: locking in the 2017 Trump tax cuts, restoring full deductions for research and development, and introducing new tax breaks targeting tips, overtime pay, and Social Security benefits — all priorities endorsed by the president.
“They love to make things complicated,” Moreno said of House Republicans. “I don’t think we need to do anything more than that.”
Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) also warned the House against overloading the bill with unrelated provisions. “I don’t know what it’s going to look like when the smoke clears, but it’ll be changed,” he said. “The only thing I would encourage my House colleagues to do is make meaningful spending reductions. And I know it’s hard, but it’s also time.”
Senate Eyes Edits, Final Deal
Senators made clear they’ll take a different path from the House. Rather than pass the bill as-is or mirror the traditional committee markup process, Senate leaders are preparing to revise the legislation or draft a competing version.
Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) urged the House to maximize savings wherever possible. “The toughest thing is how to pay for these issues,” he said. “We’re at the point now, it’s time to fish or cut bait. How much money can the House save the American taxpayers? Whatever they can do, we can get that amount done over here.”
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) floated the idea of tweaking the House bill before sending it back for final passage. “There could be a world in which the House passes their bill, and then, you know, we’re here,” Cornyn said. “Tweak it, and then send it back to them, and then they pass it.”
For now, the House continues to move through regular order, even as the clock ticks toward Memorial Day and a deal that could reshape the GOP’s economic legacy.