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EXCLUSIVE: House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., said helium would reason the Senate's mentation of sweeping authorities to beforehand President Donald Trump's docket if it was voted connected successful his enclosure this week.
"At this point, I would ballot against it," Harris told Fox News Digital successful an interrogation connected Monday morning.
He is besides calling for the House and Senate to get to enactment connected their ain versions of the plan, aft the second passed an amended mentation of the former's authorities successful the aboriginal hours of Saturday morning.
The Maryland Republican, who leads the House GOP's astir blimpish group, is the highest-ranking GOP lawmaker to travel retired against the authorities truthful far.
House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, right, is opposing House Speaker Mike Johnson's program to clasp a ballot connected a Senate mentation of Congress' Trump-focused reconciliation bill. (Getty Images)
It comes arsenic different fiscal hawks dependable concerns astir the Senate's mentation of the authorities – specifically, that it mandates astatine slightest $4 cardinal successful spending cuts, compared to $1.5 trillion to $2 trillion successful the House.
"I mean, if the Senate really is capable to present connected meaningful shortage reduction, we could conscionable walk the Senate amendments to the House fund resolution," Harris said.
"But again, I'm not consenting to bash that until I spot what the shortage reduction, the existent shortage simplification that the Senate has successful mind, is."
Congressional Republicans are moving connected a monolithic portion of authorities that Trump has dubbed "one big, beauteous bill" to beforehand his docket connected borderline security, defense, vigor and taxes.
They tin walk specified a measurement via the fund reconciliation process. Traditionally utilized erstwhile 1 enactment controls each 3 branches of government, reconciliation lowers the Senate's threshold for transition of definite fiscal measures from 60 votes to 51.
As a result, it has been utilized to walk wide argumentation changes successful 1 oregon 2 monolithic pieces of legislation.
The House's model passed successful precocious February, and included immoderate caller backing for defence and borderline security, on with $4.5 trillion for extending Trump's 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and implementing newer Trump proposals similar nary taxes connected tipped wages.
The model besides called for betwixt $1.5 trillion and $2 trillion successful spending cuts, babelike connected however overmuch Trump's taxation policies would adhd to the nationalist shortage – thing that was cardinal to winning enactment from shortage hawks.
Senate Majority Leader Sen. John Thune of South Dakota speaks to reporters connected Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025 aft a Senate argumentation luncheon connected Capitol Hill successful Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
It besides raised the indebtedness limit, thing Trump has specifically asked Republicans to woody with, by $4 trillion. The Senate's mentation would rise the indebtedness bounds by $5 trillion.
In a missive to House GOP colleagues connected Sunday, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said lawmakers would ballot connected the Senate's amended mentation this week.
However, Johnson insisted that the Senate's transition of its model simply allows the House to statesman moving connected its mentation of the measure passed successful February – and that it does not impede their process successful immoderate way.
"The Senate amendment arsenic passed makes NO CHANGES to the House reconciliation instructions that we voted for conscionable weeks ago. Although the Senate chose to instrumentality a antithetic attack connected its instructions, the amended solution successful NO WAY prevents america from achieving our goals successful the last reconciliation bill," the missive said.
"We person and volition proceed to marque it wide successful each discussions with the Senate and the White House that—in bid to unafraid House passage—the last reconciliation measure indispensable see historical spending reductions portion protecting indispensable programs."
Johnson's bureau pointed backmost to the missive erstwhile reached for remark connected Monday.
Passing a reconciliation framework, which simply outlines top-line spending figures, allows Congress to determination connected to the adjacent measurement of really crafting argumentation to travel those top-lines.
However, conservatives similar Harris person countered that they spot nary request to ballot connected the Senate's mentation of the measure to statesman enactment successful the House.
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"They conscionable deliberation that we person to support the bid moving forward. But again, if we conscionable statesman to trade the existent reconciliation packages, that keeps the bid moving guardant arsenic well," Harris said.
He near the doorway unfastened to supporting the Senate's work, contempt ruling retired enactment for its contiguous offering.
"I inactive deliberation that we should conscionable inquire the Senate to statesman crafting their reconciliation bill, and past if they present connected their committedness of shortage reduction, past I'm good with their fund resolution," Harris said.
Elizabeth Elkind is simply a authorities newsman for Fox News Digital starring sum of the House of Representatives. Previous integer bylines seen astatine Daily Mail and CBS News.
Follow connected Twitter astatine @liz_elkind and nonstop tips to [email protected]
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