NEWSLETTERS

Soixa Local

Soixa Pro

Soixa Live

Soixa Entertainment

Login

All topics

Search

Jan 7, 2025

-

GOP roadblocks start to emerge on big Trump agenda bill

Trump speaks at a press conference at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., on Tuesday.

Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images

House Republicans are already laying down potential dealbreakers for the massive fiscal legislation President-elect Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) are planning.

Why it matters: The chamber is set to have a roughly two-vote majority when the package is voted on, meaning just a handful of GOP defections could sink the entire initiative.

  • Republican factions — both in the House and Senate — are already at each others' throats on whether the package should consist of one bill or two, with Trump wavering on the topic.

State of play: Republican leadership could run into an issue with its fiscally conservative wing if it tries to advance one sprawling bill that includes a measure to raise the debt ceiling.

  • "I heard that there are three people that will not vote for a debt ceiling lift, which already kills the bill," said Rep. Rich McCormick (R-Ga.).

  • Two House Republicans — Reps. Andy Biggs of Arizona and Tim Burchett of Tennessee — have never voted to increase the debt ceiling.

Zoom in: The overall price tag of the measure could also create a dilemma for deficit hawks.

  • The bill is set to include an extension of Trump's 2017 tax cuts that could cost as much as $5 trillion over 10 years, in addition to funding for border security and an immigration crackdown.

  • It will also likely include spending cuts, but the kind of discretionary cuts that Republicans have been floating may amount to peanuts compared to the debt and deficit implications of the package.

What they're saying: "I'm not going to say I'm going to create a 'red line' per se, but in general I came up here to cut spending. That's my whole personal goal, to right-size government," said Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Mo.).

  • Burlison said Republicans have historically been "bad at" pairing meaningful spending reductions with their tax cuts.


  • "Everybody has something that somebody's whispering in their ear that they need for [their district], so spending is always a hang-up for Congress and we have never, ever been able to bring that in," said McCormick.

Zoom out: It's not just the GOP's right flank that leadership has to worry about.

  • Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) told reporters Tuesday he's "been very clear from the start that I will not support a tax bill that does not lift the cap" on the state and local tax deduction.

  • That's a provision several blue-state Republicans have pushed for — even though it is unpopular with many Republican lawmakers.

  • Lifting the SALT cap would likely also add hundreds of billions to the deficit, which could further fuel the concerns of fiscal conservatives.

What's next: Trump is set to meet with several factions of House Republican lawmakers to try to bridge the divide among them.

  • That includes those Republicans pushing to increase the SALT cap, as well as GOP committee leaders and members of the right-wing House Freedom Caucus.

Want more stories like this? Sign up for Soixa Newsletter

Go deeper

Southwest Airlines airplanes are serviced at their gates at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in May in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Southwest Airlines airplanes are serviced at their gates at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in May in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Photo: Gary Hershorn/Getty Images

Southwest Airlines is being sued and Frontier Airlines fined over chronic flight delays by the Department of Transportation, the DOT announced Wednesday.

Why it matters: Wednesday's announcement by the outgoing Biden administration's Transportation Secretary, Pete Buttigieg, comes days after the DOT fined JetBlue $2 million for chronic flight delays — the first time such a penalty had been imposed on an airline.

Migrants seeking asylum from Mexico, India and Ecuador keep warm by a fire while waiting to be apprehended by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officers after crossing over a section of border wall into the U.S. on January 05, 2025 in Ruby, Arizona.
Migrants seeking asylum from Mexico, India and Ecuador keep warm by a fire while waiting to be apprehended by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officers after crossing over a section of border wall into the U.S. on January 05, 2025 in Ruby, Arizona.

Photo: Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Documents obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) show that the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is considering proposals to expand its immigration detention capacity in at least eight states.

Why it matters: The proposals going back to September show that the Biden administration was preparing for its own expanded detention of immigrants while Democrats attacked President-elect Trump for his mass deportation plan.

This is Trump and Thune
This is Trump and Thune

Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images

President-elect Trump is leaving the rest of his GOP trifecta hanging on their reconciliation stalemate.

Why it matters: Republican leaders on both sides of the Capitol have no interest in going against Trump. He has the power to quickly end this debate, but that's no closer after Wednesday's meeting with the Senate GOP.

Smarter, faster on what matters.

Smarter, faster on what matters.

Explore Axios Newsletters →

Copyright Soxia Media, 2025