Hakeem Jeffries blasts GOP for pushing back ‘big ugly bill’ deadline
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries criticized House Republican leadership for failing to meet deadlines on a key legislation aimed at advancing former President Donald trump’s agenda. During a press conference, Jeffries lambasted teh Republicans for not having a reconciliation bill ready by Memorial Day, as they had initially promised. he stated that the GOP has been unable to distance itself from the extreme policies associated with Trump, resulting in legislative paralysis.
Jeffries pointed out that the timeline for the “Big Ugly Bill” has continuously shifted.Originally, Republicans were looking to finalize it by early April, then moved the goal to Memorial Day, which they are now unlikely to meet. House Speaker Mike Johnson asserted that the bill could be completed shortly after Memorial Day, tho increasing internal conflicts within the GOP regarding budget cuts and spending priorities have elaborate the situation.Some leaders anticipate that a more realistic deadline could be July 4.
The bill seeks to extend tax cuts, allocate defense funding, and achieve $1.5 trillion in spending reductions, but controversial elements related to welfare benefits could create division among Republicans. With time running short before the House recess, the GOP faces important challenges in meeting their legislative goals.
Jeffries mocks GOP for delays on ‘big ugly bill’
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) mocked House Republican leadership for falling behind on their schedule to pass a megabill codifying President Donald Trump‘s agenda.
During his weekly press conference, the top House Democrat blasted leaders for delaying their ambitious self-imposed deadline to have a reconciliation bill on Trump’s desk by Memorial Day.
“They keep blowing through their own deadlines. Originally, this ‘Big, Ugly Bill’ was supposed to be enacted by early April,” Jeffries said. “We’re now in May. They’re canceling hearings. They said, ‘Well, we’re going to get this done by Memorial Day.’ That ain’t happening either, and it’s because the American people view these Republican policies as dangerous.”
“Republicans haven’t figured out how to break away from being a rubber stamp for the Trump extreme agenda, and that’s why we’re seeing this level of paralysis,” he added.
Jeffries’s comments came after House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) told reporters that if the bill is not done by Memorial Day, “it will be shortly thereafter.”
“But our timetable is on pace, and we’re going to get this done ASAP,” Johnson said.
Despite Johnson’s remarks, the GOP is in catch-up mode as it works to draft and pass the bill that seeks to extend the tax cuts, provide funds for defense and the border, and calls for $1.5 trillion in spending cuts.
However, the deadline has since shifted as Republicans battle internally over how best to reach the proposed cuts without slashing beneficiary programs such as Medicaid and Social Security. House Republicans are promising welfare benefits will not be cut as part of the $1.5 trillion in spending offsets demanded by fiscal hawks, but some changes could prove controversial with GOP centrists.
Leaders adjusted the timeline last week, saying they aimed for just the House to pass the bill by Memorial Day.
However, some House committee leaders tasked with major portions of the bill, as well as Senate and White House leaders, have said a July 4 deadline is more likely.
“We can have this on the President’s desk by July 4,” Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO), chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, told the Washington Examiner last week.
THE FOUR FACTIONS SPEAKER JOHNSON MUST PLEASE TO PASS TRUMP’S BUDGET MEGABILL
The Ways and Means Committee and the Energy and Commerce and Agriculture committees are set to have their markups on their designated sections next week. This is a delay in leadership’s plans. Energy and Commerce was set to markup the bill this week. Ways and Means had not yet set a date but was expected to hold the hearing this week, along with the rest of the committees that did not hold markups last week, to line up with leadership’s desired timeline.
The week of May 12 was intended to be a work period for the Budget Committee to put the bill together, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) told reporters last week. However, the delays in markups are leaving little time for House GOP leaders to pass the bill before the House goes on a scheduled one-week recess for the holiday.
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