House leadership delays major budget hearings after White House meeting – Washington Examiner
House leadership has postponed two notable budget hearings regarding President Donald TrumpS proposed “one big, beautiful bill” after a meeting at the White House. Key figures such as House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith and House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Brett Guthrie met with Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise to discuss budget reconciliation.The delay, pushed by the need to address concerns within the party, could complicate the ambitious goal of passing the budget framework before Memorial Day and sending it to the Senate by July 4.The two committees were expected to tackle complex issues, including Medicaid spending and tax cuts, and a follow-up announcement regarding the new schedule is anticipated.
House leadership delays major budget hearings after White House meeting
Two major House hearings to look at President Donald Trump’s “one big, beautiful bill” were delayed after Thursday’s White House meeting.
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R-MO) and House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Brett Guthrie (R-KY) joined Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) for a meeting at the White House Thursday on budget reconciliation, which led to the committees punting its hearings a week, given the tough task of appeasing both sides of the conference with little room for error.
House leadership is advocating an ambitious passage schedule, aiming for before Memorial Day weekend and then sending the major tax bill to the Senate for final passage by July 4. The delay in these markup hearings leaves little time for passage.
Energy and Commerce was set to markup the bill next week. Ways and Means had not yet set a date but was expected to hold the hearing next week, along with the rest of the committees that did not hold markups this week, to line up with leadership’s desired timeline. The two committees are responsible for two of the thorniest provisions of the budget bill: Medicaid spending and tax cuts, respectively.
“The Chairman had a very productive conversation with President Trump at the White House today. In order to follow up on a few requests, we are not marking up next week,” a senior aide to Guthrie wrote to staff of members on the committee in an email obtained by the Washington Examiner.
“Please hold the week of May 12th for our reconciliation markup, with Committee meetings beginning prior to votes on Tuesday. We will have member meetings next week on Tuesday and Wednesday in lieu of hearings/markups — stay tuned for details. A statement on the delay will be coming from the Speaker and Leader shortly.”
Following the budget framework passing last month, committee leaders tasked with leading sections of the reconciliation package met with lawmakers throughout this week, as several Republicans have expressed concerns over how the GOP can find $1.5 trillion in spending cuts without slashing Medicaid benefits, leaving the House Energy and Commerce markup expected to draw a heated debate.
REPUBLICANS ADJUST TIME FRAME FOR TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL’ TAX BILL
This budget process unlocks Trump’s agenda through one megabill called reconciliation. The GOP hopes to pass a renewal of his 2017 tax law alongside priorities on energy, defense, and the border.
“Going to make things easier for everyone: We have not scheduled a markup. We did not schedule one. When we schedule one, we will send out a notice,” House Ways and Means communications director wrote on X. “Ways and Means members are working towards getting this bill done.”
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