Staff Reports
The House GOP leadership finds itself in a pickle—a spicy one, too, as they attempt to push through the Senate’s budget resolution, which some members of their own party see as a fiscal wet noodle. With the Easter holiday looming, Speaker Mike Johnson is eager to get something done for the sake of President Trump’s budget blueprint. Yet, dissent is in the air, and it’s coming from the very conservatives who are supposed to be all on the same team.
Back in Washington, the GOP faithful returned to the Hill after an unexpected break caused by a spat over proxy voting. Apparently, new parents need a little modern convenience while they figure out how to hand off Baby while casting votes. Johnson and Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna have concocted a compromise to let parents take part in voting from the Not-So-Comfortable Chairs of Diaper Duty. It appears the whole proxy voting thing is a hot topic, with Democrats pitching their need for it and Johnson arguing it’s unconstitutional. But hey, a little backing from Trump can change minds, or at least grease the wheels of compromise.
The bedrock of the GOP plan centers around the Senate budget resolution, meant to serve as a pathway for Trump’s objectives on border security, tax breaks, and energy incentives. It would allow Republicans to sidestep the never-ending filibuster games played by Democrats. Yet here lies the rub: some Republicans think the Senate’s vision for spending cuts is about as impressive as a soggy piece of bread. Criticism hasn’t been in short supply, particularly from those who have counted numbers and are finding the Senate’s proposed $4 billion in cuts—against a backdrop of $5.8 trillion in new costs—woefully inadequate.
House GOP leadership seeks to pass Senate budget resolution amid Republican opposition https://t.co/FKq0qDwurC
— Just the News (@JustTheNews) April 8, 2025
Take House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington from Texas, who is clearly less than thrilled. He’s not pulling any punches, denouncing the Senate’s proposal as “unserious” and misleading, characterizing it as simply a notch above throwing a few coins at the national debt. Then there’s Rep. Andy Ogles from Tennessee, who has made it abundantly clear he finds the Senate’s numbers bordering on offensive, likening them to a bad joke. In contrast, he points out, the House suggested a serious $1.5 trillion in cuts, which he insists should be taken more seriously.
A whole host of Republicans are chiming in with similar sentiments. Rep. Victoria Spartz and Rep. Chip Roy have made their opposition known, calling the Senate’s budget a “Jekyll and Hyde” scenario that presents a façade of responsible governance while lacking any real mechanisms to achieve responsible spending. They argue for the need to roll back expenditures and lay down the law to rogue programs that have turned waste into an art form.
If Speaker Johnson looks to push this budget resolution through, he needs to get his fellow Republicans not only on board but also excited about it—an uphill battle given his seven-vote majority in a chamber where dissent is ringing louder than a church bell on Sunday morning. The bigger question remains whether GOP leadership will get creative and send the budget back to the Senate for tweaks or find a way to ensure a path forward, ideally one that doesn’t leave the conservative base groaning in disapproval. If the House GOP can’t unite on this fundamental issue, the road ahead may be fraught with more than just budgetary woes; it could spell trouble for GOP unity heading into the next election cycle.
