WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Wednesday gave his most emphatic endorsement yet of the House’s strategy of passing one massive bill to advance his legislative agenda and urged the Senate to pump the brakes on its rival two-bill plan.
Trump’s remarks on Truth Social came just a day before the GOP-led Senate planned to vote on a budget resolution that would kickstart the process of pushing Trump’s policy priorities. But the Senate’s blueprint is much narrower than the House’s; it focuses on immigration enforcement and expanding energy production but doesn’t call for an extension of the Trump tax cuts like the House does.
In his post, Trump specifically took a swipe at Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who wrote the upper chamber’s budget resolution and has been advocating for the Senate to move first amid delays in the House.
“The House and Senate are doing a SPECTACULAR job of working together as one unified, and unbeatable, TEAM, however, unlike the Lindsey Graham version of the very important Legislation currently being discussed, the House Resolution implements my FULL America First Agenda, EVERYTHING, not just parts of it!” Trump wrote in his post.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., is leading the budget process in the Senate.
“We need both Chambers to pass the House Budget to ‘kickstart’ the Reconciliation process, and move all of our priorities to the concept of, ‘ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL.’ It will, without question, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!,” Trump continued.
Trump’s comments came as House GOP leaders and other senior Republicans have been personally lobbying Trump in recent days to go public with his support of the House budget resolution, according a senior GOP source.
House Republican leaders also have been whipping rank-and-file members this week, and a number of moderate Republicans signaled they are undecided because of concerns over potential Medicaid cuts, one of those concerned GOP lawmakers said. The hope among top Republicans is that Trump’s public support will help get those holdouts to fall in line.
“@realDonaldTrump is right! House Republicans are working to deliver President Trump’s FULL agenda — not just a small part of it,” Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who attended the Super Bowl with Trump and has been pushing for the House strategy, wrote on X. “Let’s get it done, @HouseGOP!”
Republicans in the White House and on Capitol Hill have been debating for more than two months whether to pass Trump’s agenda in one bill or break it up into two. Trump had indicated a preference for a one-bill approach but had made clear he’d be fine with either process.
Trump’s social media post came one day after the Senate voted 50-47 to advance Graham’s budget resolution. It was a party-line vote, with Sen. Rand Paul, of Kentucky, the only Republican to vote against it, and set up a “vote-a-rama” for later this week where senators can propose amendments to the bill.
Graham had pitched his slimmed-down budget measure as a way to immediately deliver on Trump’s need for more money to enforce immigration law and carry out his mass deportation plans. He’s aligned with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., on the need for a two-track plan that pushes a tax overhaul down the road.
Vice President JD Vance will join Senate Republicans at the Capitol for lunch on Wednesday to discuss the next steps, senators said. The Senate is “still on track” for a vote on its budget resolution this week but will see what comes out of the Vance meeting, said Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo.
A House GOP source familiar with the debate expressed concern that if the Senate passes its budget this week, it would “jam” the House and give momentum to the Senate’s strategy.
Last week, the House voted 21-16 along party lines to approve a massive budget resolution that calls for more spending on immigration and the military, alongside $4.5 trillion in tax cuts that are partially offset by unspecified spending cuts. It also includes a $4 trillion increase in the debt limit.
House GOP leaders are planning to put that budget on the floor for a vote when lawmakers return next week now that Trump has endorsed it.
Republican senators expressed some surprised at Trump’s post, with Thune telling reporters, “I did not see that one coming.”
One close Trump ally, Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., said he and others like the idea of “one big, beautiful, glamorous bill” but that Republicans need a plan B if the House strategy collapses.
“We also have to have alternative plans, and I think Lindsey represents an alternative,” Mullin said. “The House, if they can take one big, beautiful, glamorous bill and put 218 on the board, we can put 51 senators on the board here and pass it. Thing is, they haven’t proven that they can do that.”
Trump threw another wrench into congressional Republicans’ efforts when he told Fox News on Tuesday that his agenda wouldn’t include Medicaid cuts.
“Medicare, Medicaid — none of that stuff is going to be touched,” Trump said.
The House Republicans’ budget blueprint calls on the Energy and Commerce Committee to find $880 billion in deficit reduction. Spending less on Medicaid was seen internally as a key component of hitting that target.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., previewed the Democratic strategy to combat the Republican budget reconciliation push this week, vowing that the party will be unified around attacking the effort as a ploy to give tax cuts to the wealthy by cutting middle-class programs.
“They want to give their billionaire buddies tax breaks, and the working families of America are paying for it,” Schumer said.
Democrats will offer amendments about prohibiting tax cuts for the wealthy and protecting benefits, he said. Schumer summed up one amendment as: “If they cut even $1 from Medicaid, no one whose income is above $1 million can get any tax reduction.”
“We’re putting these guys on the spot. … This is affecting their own constituencies so many different ways,” Schumer said. “The amendments will come to haunt them in 2026. … There’s a lot of support for this, a lot of enthusiasm for this. It unites the caucus — from Bernie [Sanders] to the most conservative members.”
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
