House GOP Passes Budget With $4.5T Tax Cut, $2T Spending Cut

House GOP Passes Budget With $4.5T Tax Cut, $2T Spending Cut \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ House Republicans passed a Trump-backed budget blueprint on Tuesday, moving forward with $4.5 trillion in tax cuts and $2 trillion in spending cuts despite unified Democratic opposition and internal GOP divisions. The narrow 217-215 vote came after Trump lobbied Republicans, promising no Medicaid cuts while pushing for his “big, beautiful bill.” However, concerns remain over the deficit impact and potential cuts to social programs, as House and Senate Republicans debate competing budget strategies. Meanwhile, voter backlash is mounting against massive federal layoffs overseen by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), creating new political risks for lawmakers.

House Passes Trump-Backed Budget: Quick Looks

• GOP Budget Advances Narrowly: House Republicans passed a $4.5 trillion tax cut plan alongside $2 trillion in spending cuts, despite unified Democratic opposition and internal GOP divisions.
• Trump Rallies Republicans for ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’: Trump personally called hesitant GOP lawmakers and hosted Republicans at the White House to secure votes for the budget’s passage.
• Democrats Call It a ‘Betrayal’: House Democrats blasted the plan, arguing it benefits the wealthy while cutting Medicaid, food stamps, and social programs.
• Voter Backlash Over Federal Layoffs Grows: Anger is mounting over mass firings led by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), complicating GOP messaging.
• Republicans Divided Over Spending Cuts: Some GOP lawmakers worry about voter reaction to benefit reductions, while deficit hawks argue the tax cuts will add to the national debt.
• Senate Republicans Taking Different Approach: The Senate GOP has introduced a separate $340 billion bill focused on border security funding, delaying tax cut discussions for later this year.
• What’s Next? The budget now moves to committee hearings, but with federal funding expiring March 14, lawmakers must also pass a separate bill to avoid a government shutdown.

Deep Look

House Republicans narrowly passed a sweeping budget blueprint on Tuesday, taking a major step toward President Donald Trump’s demand for a massive tax cut and spending overhaul.

The 217-215 vote pushed forward a $4.5 trillion extension of Trump-era tax cuts, alongside $2 trillion in spending cuts, despite strong Democratic opposition and skepticism among some Republicans.

House Speaker Mike Johnson barely held his party together, battling GOP concerns over deficit spending and potential cuts to social programs. With Trump making personal calls to hesitant lawmakers and inviting Republicans to the White House, the House GOP secured just enough votes to advance the bill.

Trump’s Budget Priorities: Tax Cuts First, Spending Cuts Second

Trump has aggressively pushed for a budget that extends the 2017 tax cuts, many of which expire this year, while also slashing federal spending.

“We got it done,” Johnson said after the vote, crediting Trump’s involvement in securing Republican support.

However, the budget still faces a long road before becoming law. Next steps include:

• Weeks of committee hearings to draft details.
• A Senate debate, where Republicans passed a scaled-back version.
• Potential negotiations between the House and Senate to reconcile differences.

The budget battle is unfolding alongside efforts to avoid a government shutdown, with federal funding set to expire on March 14.

Backlash Over Federal Layoffs Complicates GOP Messaging

While House Republicans celebrate their budget victory, voter anger is growing over mass federal layoffs led by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

The department has overseen the firing of thousands of federal workers, sparking protests and frustration at town hall meetings nationwide.

Even some Republicans are expressing discomfort, as voters question how tax cuts for the wealthy align with job losses and potential benefit reductions for middle-class Americans.

Democrats Condemn Budget as ‘Betrayal’ of American Families

House Democrats fiercely opposed the budget, blasting it as a giveaway to the rich at the expense of working families.

“Our very way of life as a country is under assault,” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said, standing alongside Americans who said they would be harmed by proposed spending cuts.

During floor debate, Democrats denounced the GOP plan as a “Republican rip-off” and a “blueprint for American decline.”

Their main criticisms include:

• Tax breaks overwhelmingly benefiting corporations and the wealthiest Americans.
• Deep spending cuts targeting social programs like Medicaid and food assistance.
• An estimated $2.5 trillion added to the deficit over 10 years.

GOP Divided Over Scope of Spending Cuts

Even as Republicans celebrate advancing the budget, internal divisions remain over where cuts should be made.

• Some Republicans want deeper spending reductions to offset the tax cuts, fearing the plan adds too much to the $36 trillion national debt.
• Others are concerned about voter backlash if cuts hit Medicaid, food stamps, and student aid programs.
• Trump personally assured lawmakers that Medicaid would not be cut, but the budget document does not explicitly protect the program.

Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) emphasized Trump’s promise, saying:

“The president was clear about that. I was clear about that. We will work through this, but the objective today is to begin the process.”

However, conservative deficit hawks warn that the plan’s math doesn’t add up.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), a fiscal hardliner, was the only Republican to vote against the budget, arguing that it relies on unrealistic economic growth projections.

Competing GOP Budget Plans in the Senate

Senate Republicans are taking a different approach, focusing on funding Trump’s border security and deportation agenda first, with tax cuts tackled later.

Senate Republicans last week unveiled a $340 billion package to fund Trump’s immigration policies immediately, with plans to separately extend tax cuts later this year.

Some GOP senators believe the House approach—combining tax cuts and spending reductions in one massive bill—has little chance of passing in the Senate.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) acknowledged the challenges, saying:

“I’m holding my breath. I’m crossing my fingers. I think a one-shot is their best opportunity.”

Johnson’s Leadership Faces Future Challenges

Speaker Mike Johnson leads one of the thinnest House majorities in modern history, making every budget vote a high-wire act.

Republicans already lost seats in last November’s election, and Johnson must keep nearly every GOP lawmaker in line to pass key bills.

Looking Ahead: What’s Next for the GOP Budget?

• Committee Hearings: The budget now goes through weeks of committee negotiations to finalize details.
• Senate Showdown: House and Senate Republicans must reconcile their different budget strategies.
• Potential Government Shutdown: With federal funding set to expire March 14, a separate funding bill must be passed soon to avoid a shutdown.
• Voter Backlash: GOP lawmakers face mounting public frustration over federal layoffs and potential program cuts, which could shape the 2024 elections.

As the House GOP moves forward with Trump’s vision, their biggest challenge will be unifying their own party while preparing for inevitable battles with Senate Republicans and Democrats.

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