House GOP insists on Senate cooperation as reconciliation talks resume: 'We must act'



House Republican leadership members are applying pressure on the Senate GOP to take up their reconciliation budget blueprint as negotiations resume on Capitol Hill.

While both the Senate and the House passed their respective budget resolutions, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) are set to meet Tuesday to discuss a path forward. House Republicans are set on advancing their "big, beautiful bill," which President Donald Trump has endorsed, and they're putting the Senate on notice.

'We encourage our Senate colleagues to take up the House budget resolution when they return to Washington.'

"The House is determined to send the president one big, beautiful bill that secures our border, keeps taxes low for families and job creators, grows our economy, restores American energy dominance, brings back peace through strength, and makes government more efficient and more accountable to the American people," the statement reads.

"We took the first step to accomplish that by passing a budget resolution weeks ago, and we look forward to the Senate joining us in this commitment to ensure we enact President Trump's full agenda as quickly as possible," the statement continued. "The American people gave us a mandate, and we must act on it."

Despite the public push for the House resolution, Republican leadership remains divided on the competing blueprints. While the GOP is still hammering out the fine print on issues like tax policy and budget cuts, House Republicans insist that their version will be the best option to implement Trump's agenda.

"We encourage our Senate colleagues to take up the House budget resolution when they return to Washington," the statement reads. "This is our opportunity to deliver what will be one of the most consequential pieces of legislation in the history of our nation. Working together, we will get it done."

Congress has about two weeks to make progress on reconciliation talks if Republicans want to pass a final budget by April 7, an ambitious goal set by Johnson. Although Congress typically operates at a glacial pace, negotiations are set to resume Tuesday.

Some Republicans, like Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, are less optimistic than the leadership.

“Probably what we are going to do is talk each other to death, stare at each other, and then eventually, you know, confuse the issue so much that it takes two months to unravel what we agree to,” Paul said.

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Trump's 50-day report card: Has he delivered for MAGA?



President Trump was officially sworn in as the 47th president 50 plus days ago, and while everyone has their own opinion on how he’s done so far, Mark Meadows, former Trump White House chief of staff, gives him an A+.

“Listen, it’s breathtaking. I give him an A+, and I’m a hard grader,” Meadows tells Jill Savage and Matthew Peterson of “Blaze News Tonight.” “But an A+, really, for the speed of which they’ve been able to address so many things.”

“Most of his Cabinet, not only the highest secretaries, but also the people underneath have already moved through the Senate, which is unheard of at this kind of speed,” he explains, noting that Trump’s executive orders have also been impressive.


“When you start to look at the executive orders, the amount of effort that they’re spending on not only looking at the waste, fraud, and abuse, but the billions of dollars that have been uncovered, much to the Democrats' chagrin,” he says.

“I just came from the Capitol an hour or two ago, and I can tell you, many of the Democrat members of Congress are hoping that Elon Musk and President Trump stop their efforts because of what’s getting exposed,” he adds.

However, while Trump has wasted no time setting his plans in motion, that doesn’t mean he won’t face some challenges on the way.

“There’s two types of people that love to spend money in Washington, D.C.: Democrats and Republicans. And you know, the swamp is already fighting back,” he explains. “We’re seeing some reports of some friction within the Cabinet.”

“The House is going to vote on a continuing resolution, which most conservatives in the past have not supported,” he continues. “I’m afraid of what they may run into in the Senate. The Senate, they take more naps than they do votes, and so it’s critically important that we make sure that momentum that Russ Vought was talking about and that both of you have covered, very well continues.”

“The honeymoon phase is not over, but it has the potential of being over if the American people don’t continue to applaud,” he says, adding, “Because you can never imagine the resistance that’s here in Washington, D.C.”

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MAGA’s message to Speaker Johnson: 'Enough talking; get to work!'



While House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) rightfully evicted Congressman Al Green (D-Texas) from the venue where President Trump delivered his speech and condemned Democrats’ behavior as “unserious” and “embarrassing,” Liz Wheeler is still skeptical of him.

She’s not sure Johnson understands what the American people really voted for.

“Speaker Johnson needs to be careful, and he needs to understand something. The people did not vote really for the Republican Party; the people didn't really vote for the GOP, especially as Speaker Johnson understands it,” she says. “We the people voted for President Trump and President Trump's agenda.”

Liz points out that while executive orders are great, they “can be undone by the next administration” or “struck down in court, even on bogus grounds,” like last week’s Supreme Court ruling that refused to block a lower court’s order demanding President Trump unfreeze $2 billion in USAID funding.

“Speaker Johnson needs to know that Republicans will only be able to grow their majority if they pass President Trump's agenda into law,” she says, “and I’m sorry to say that’s a pretty big if.”

“The American people are smart, so Johnson should not try to use 'America First' language and then ... pass spending bills that fund leftist objectives or push for support for forever wars or amnesty or free trade deals that screw over the average American,” Liz explains.

“‘America First’ and ‘Make America Great Again’ cannot become the new family values,” she says.

In the wake of Bill Clinton’s presidency, the GOP tried (and failed) to restore “family values,” such as “protecting the sanctity of marriage, ending abortion, [and] being morally decent public servants.”

“But what actually happened after they promised all of that?” Liz asks. “Well, they failed to conserve the sanctity of marriage; they continued to fund Planned Parenthood; they didn't end abortion at all, really; and many of them were and are scumbags in their personal lives.”

“And yet even in the midst of their failure, they still tried to claim ‘I support family values’ as the country went to hell in a hand basket, and the American people rewarded them for this hypocrisy by not voting for them,” she continues.

“It took Trump's vision to not just save our country but to save the GOP, and it will take the action of Republicans in Congress passing bills that protect our border, our language, and our culture to not only save America but to ensure that we thrive for years to come.”

“So my message to Speaker Johnson today is enough talking, get to work,” says Liz. “Your actions leave a little to be desired.”

To hear more of Liz’s commentary, watch the clip above.

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Spending skeptics rally behind Trump's CR pitch as government shutdown looms



With a government shutdown looming over Congress, Republicans have largely united behind President Donald Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-La.) pitch to put through a clean continuing resolution.

Although the text for the CR has not been finalized, House Republicans have come out of closed-door meetings with a positive outlook.

As Blaze News first reported, fiscal conservatives and members of the House Freedom Caucus huddled with Director Russell Vought and other top Office of Management and Budget officials on Monday night, with one White House source in the room describing the meeting as "congenial." The optimism carried through Wednesday afternoon when the same Republicans met with Trump to hear his pitch on a clean CR.

'There is overwhelming support to back the president's agenda to be able to advance and to be able to give room for DOGE and Elon Musk and to give room to Russ Vought and OMB to deliver to the American people.'

"Government funding runs out next week, and Democrats are threatening to shut down the Government - But I am working with the GREAT House Republicans on a Continuing Resolution to fund the Government until September to give us some needed time to work on our Agenda," Trump said in a Truth Social post following the meeting.

"Conservatives will love this Bill, because it sets us up to cut Taxes and Spending in Reconciliation, all while effectively FREEZING Spending this year, and allowing us to continue our work to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN," Trump said. "VERY IMPORTANT - Let’s get this Bill done!"

The benefit of a clean CR is that it would continue Trump's momentum, whereas a government shutdown would stifle it.

'I will try to convince as many of my colleagues as possible that if this is the tool the president needs, we really have a once in a generation opportunity.'

"If [Trump] thinks that a clean CR, put that in air quotes, clean CR, is the way to go for the rest of the fiscal year ... I'm all for it," HFC Chairman Andy Harris (R-Md.) told Blaze News.

"It would be a heavy lift with some conservatives, that’s what they said about the budget resolution and the debt-ceiling increase. But, I think we can achieve this heavy lift," Harris added. "It will take some work over the next week."

To Harris' point, passing a clean CR with such a slim Republican majority will likely be a heavy lift. With respect to reconciliation, Republicans could afford to lose only one vote, and yet, Johnson managed to pull it off.

"I will try to convince as many of my colleagues as possible that if this is the tool the president needs, we really have a 'once in a generation' opportunity," Harris said. "We shouldn't pass it up, because the alternative is to deal with the Democrats."

Republican Rep. Chip Roy (Texas), another past CR skeptic, also came away from closed-door meetings with a positive outlook.

"There is overwhelming support to back the president's agenda to be able to advance and to be able to give room for DOGE and Elon Musk and to give room to Russ Vought and OMB to deliver to the American people," Roy said in a press gaggle Wednesday following the meeting with Trump.

Roy argued that a clean CR would freeze spending at current levels, "which is going to be able to make sure that we hold spending in check" while DOGE and its Capitol Hill allies continue identifying areas of fraud, waste, and abuse.

For other spending skeptics like Republican Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee, continuing DOGE-style cuts is a non-negotiable in order to secure their votes.

'I'm looking at it in a favorable manner. But that doesn't mean I'll vote for it.'

Burchett, who has historically defected during spending fights, told Blaze News that so far, he is "not too inspired" by the Republicans' pitch for a clean CR.

"If they would add the cuts from DOGE, all of them, I could lean in that direction," Burchett told Blaze News. "We got elected to do some things, and DOGE is doing it. I think we ought to take that out for a vote and see what happens."

But even with provisions to codify DOGE cuts, Burchett says it may not be enough to swing his vote in favor of the CR.

"I'm looking at it in a favorable manner," Burchett told Blaze News about a DOGE-style CR. "But that doesn't mean I'll vote for it."

Like with reconciliation, Republicans are operating with incredibly narrow margins. Johnson can afford to lose only one GOP vote, which is likely to be claimed by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky. With the odds seemingly stacked against them, we will have to wait and see if Republicans can pull off another legislative miracle.

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Success of Trump's address makes Democrats' desperate damage control all the more humiliating



Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan delivered her party's rebuttal to President Donald Trump's congressional address. Unfortunately for Democrats, Trump's optimistic and inspiring speech eclipsed Slotkin's damage control.

To Slotkin's credit, she pulled out all the stops. She addressed the economy, recent DOGE cuts, tariffs, and foreign policy. Even still, her message was overshadowed by Trump's address, which garnered an overwhelmingly positive reception.

Democrats pouted and protested during Tuesday night's address, even during apolitical and heartwarming moments.

The vast majority of Americans approved of Trump's speech, according to a CBS poll surveying viewers. Nearly 70% of Americans also said they felt hopeful watching the speech, and over half said they felt proud.

Meanwhile, some legacy media omitted covering Slotkin's address altogether, including Politico Playbook and Punchbowl's morning newsletter. This is just further evidence that Trump's speech was another bright spot for Republicans and MAGA supporters across the country, and Democrats felt it.

Democrats REFUSE to stand and clap for a little kid fighting brain cancer: pic.twitter.com/0RdZfqDpTX
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) March 5, 2025

Democrats pouted and protested during Tuesday night's address, even during apolitical and heartwarming moments.

'They refused to clap for the families of Jocelyn Nungaray, Laken Riley, Corey Comperatore, or the capture of the terrorist mastermind behind Abbey Gate.'

In a touching exchange, Trump made DJ Daniel, a 13-year-old boy with cancer, an honorary member of the Secret Service, fulfilling Daniel's lifelong dream of working in law enforcement. Yet in true leftist fashion, Democrats like MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace politicized the moment by bringing up January 6.

“I hope he has a long life as a law enforcement officer, but I hope he never has to defend the United States Capitol against Donald Trump's supporters," Wallace said. “And if he does, I hope he isn't one of the six who loses his life to suicide. And I hope he isn't one who has to testify against the people who carried out acts of seditious conspiracy."

Democrats also refused to celebrate Americans whose lives have been lost over the last four years.

"Democrats couldn’t even stand for the incredible Americans President Trump recognized," Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said. "They refused to clap for the families of Jocelyn Nungaray, Laken Riley, Corey Comperatore, or the capture of the terrorist mastermind behind Abbey Gate. That’s the sad state of Congressional Democrats today."

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Trump paints optimistic picture of America's golden age during historic congressional address



President Donald Trump delivered a hopeful speech in his 90-minute address to the joint session of Congress on Tuesday, recapping the resurgence of American greatness and success.

"Six weeks ago, I stood beneath the dome of this Capitol and proclaimed the dawn of the golden age of America," Trump said. "From that moment on, it has been nothing but swift and unrelenting action to usher in the greatest and most successful era in the history of the country."

Throughout the speech, Trump addressed the importance of restoring the economy, rescuing the working class, bolstering American energy, cracking down on illegal immigration, and reclaiming American sovereignty.

President Trump: "To my fellow citizens, AMERICA IS BACK!" pic.twitter.com/dTGy7SHg70
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) March 5, 2025

"We have accomplished more in 43 days than most administrations accomplish in four years or eight years, and we are just getting started," Trump said. "I return to this chamber tonight to report that America’s momentum is back. Our spirit is back. Our pride is back. Our confidence is back. And the American dream is surging, bigger and better than ever before.

"The American dream is unstoppable, and our country is on the verge of a comeback the likes of which the world has never witnessed and perhaps will never witness again," Trump said.

President Trump: "The days of rule by unelected bureaucrats are OVER!" pic.twitter.com/NFdnZwwCPh
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) March 5, 2025

Trump noted the sweeping accomplishments his administration has made in just six weeks since he was inaugurated. Trump signed nearly 100 executive orders and has taken over 400 executive actions to implement the MAGA mandate and to restore "common sense, safety, optimism, and wealth" across America.

"The people elected me to do the job, and I'm doing it," Trump said. "In fact, it has been stated by many that the first month of our presidency is the most successful in the history of our nation."

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Trump trolls Democrats in congressional address: 'How did that work out?'



President Donald Trump trolled House and Senate Democrats during his address to the joint session of Congress Tuesday night, pointing to their tireless efforts to tank his presidency.

Democrats have been throwing a fit ever since Trump's sweeping electoral victory on November 5, with one lawmaker even being escorted out of the House chamber for his lack of decorum. Despite their best efforts to prevent another Republican presidency, Trump took the opportunity to tease his biggest critics.

To Democrats' dismay, Trump's humorous jabs at the opposition underscored a speech that was ultimately shaped by optimism and American success, just as Americans voted for.

"We have ended weaponized government, where, as an example, a sitting president is allowed to viciously prosecute a political opponent, like me," Trump said. "How did that work out?"

Caption this: pic.twitter.com/9ROEdezkTR
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) March 5, 2025

"And I have stopped all government censorship and brought back free speech in America," Trump added.

Trump's quip earned a standing ovation from Republicans as Democrats stubbornly stayed in their seats. But while Democrats pouted, Trump tried to lend a hand to the demoralized party.

"Democrats sitting before me, for just this one night, why not join us in celebrating so many incredible wins for America?" Trump said. "For the good of our nation, let's work together, and let's truly make America great again."

Trump also poked fun at Democrats' disdain for Elon Musk and the DOGE, leading the effort to reduce federal waste and cut spending.

"To combat inflation, we will be ending the flagrant waste of taxpayer dollars," Trump said. "I have created the brand-new Department of Government Efficiency: DOGE, which is headed by Elon Musk. Perhaps you've heard of it."

With respect to the DOGE's recent findings, Trump also pointed to the age discrepancies found within the Social Security databases.

"Over 130,000 people, according to the Social Security databases, are aged over 160 years old," Trump said. "We have a healthier country than I thought, Bobby."

To Democrats' dismay, Trump's humorous jabs at the opposition underscored a speech that was ultimately shaped by optimism and American success, just as Americans voted for.

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Senate advances border budget despite lone GOP holdout



The Senate passed Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham's budget resolution early Friday morning after an all-night voting session.

The bill passed the Senate 52-48 in a near-party-line vote. Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky was the only GOP senator to join all 47 Democrats in voting against the bill, citing fiscal concerns about the budget outline.

"If you follow the news, you've been seeing reports of Elon Musk and DOGE and getting rid of waste and fraud and abuse by the billions, if not trillions, of dollars," Paul said in a floor speech Thursday. "And yet, we are meeting here today because Congress, namely the Senate, wants to increase federal spending."

Graham's $340 billion budget outline is the first of the Senate's two-pronged approach to rolling out reconciliation. The proposal includes funds for defense and border enforcement, as the Senate aims to address tax policy later in a separate bill.

Graham admitted that the one-bill approach would be ideal but argued that his two-bill approach is a more immediate remedy to address the border crisis.

"This budget resolution is a complete game-changer when it comes to securing our border and making our military more lethal," Graham said in a statement Friday. "It will allow President Trump to fulfill the promises he made to the American people — a very big deal."

Although the Senate has held the lead in advancing the reconciliation process, President Donald Trump formally backed Louisiana Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson's "big beautiful bill" earlier in the week. Trump noted that although both chambers of Congress had made progress in implementing his MAGA agenda, he preferred a bill that addressed all his policy priorities in one fell swoop.

"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 said.

Even with Trump's endorsement, members of the House won't be back in Washington, D.C., to vote on their reconciliation bill until next week.

Graham admitted that the one-bill approach would be ideal but argued that his two-bill approach is a more immediate remedy to address the border crisis.

"I hope the House can pass one big bill that meets President Trump’s priorities," Graham said. "But this approach provides money that we needed yesterday to continue the momentum on securing our border, enforcing our immigration laws, and rebuilding our military. Time is of the essence."

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Trump gives House budget his blessing despite Senate's lead in race for reconciliation



President Donald Trump yet again endorsed the House's reconciliation bill on Wednesday after the Senate advanced its own budgetary resolution on Tuesday night.

The Senate pressed on with its two-bill budget blueprint, teeing up a potential vote for later this week. The House, on the other hand, is positioned to vote on its reconciliation bill next week when members are back in session.

'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!'

It's also worth noting that Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina introduced the Senate's proposal nearly a week before Speaker Mike Johnson finalized the House's budget.

Despite the recurring delays on the House side, Trump reiterated his support for "one big beautiful bill."

"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 said in a Truth Social post Wednesday.

"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!"

As Trump noted, the House bill tackles all the major policy priorities the administration is aiming to implement, including border provisions, defense spending, tax cuts, and spending cuts. Although the Senate's approach addresses the same issues, its two-bill approach splits the border and defense spending from the tax bill.

One key difference between the two proposals is that the House bill doesn't allow for a permanent extension of the Trump tax cuts from 2017, which Senate Majority Leader John Thune considers a dealbreaker.

Even still, it's clear that Trump has given Johnson's big, beautiful bill his blessing.

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House Freedom Caucus takes the reins on reconciliation



The House Freedom Caucus has taken the initiative and introduced its own budgetary resolution on Monday to kick-start the reconciliation process, while Republican leadership continues negotiations.

Dubbed the Emergency Border Control Resolution, the budget contains crucial funding for several border and military provisions, cuts hundreds of billions in spending, and raises the debt ceiling by $4 trillion. House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris said the caucus has taken matters into its own hands because of the delayed negotiations among the Republican leadership.

'Given the current delay in the House on moving a comprehensive reconciliation bill, moving a smaller targeted bill now makes the most sense to deliver a win for the American people.'

"President Trump was elected with a mandate to close the southern border, stop the flood of illegal aliens, begin repatriations of those here illegally, and restore accountability to our government," Harris said in a press release obtained by Blaze News. "The House Freedom Caucus has always believed that Congress must rapidly give the president the funds he needs to do this."

This budget proposal would be the first of two bills intended to address reconciliation. This approach contrasts with the goal of Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to put forward "one big beautiful bill" that would address both border and tax policy.

"Given the current delay in the House on moving a comprehensive reconciliation bill, moving a smaller targeted bill now makes the most sense to deliver a win for the American people," Harris added. "I am proud to introduce the Emergency Border Control Resolution today to set the reconciliation process in motion in the House."

The House Freedom Caucus introduced its budgetary resolution just days after the Senate put out its own proposal on Friday.

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