President Donald Trump has made plain his legislative desires – and the GOP majorities in both the House and the Senate appear eager to please. However, they can’t seem to agree on how to go about it. Now, like siblings fighting over the affection of their father, the two chambers of Congress vie for the approval of their president.
Conflict in Congress
At its core, the disagreement between the lower and upper chambers is about how many bills are necessary to achieve this great legislative feat. The House hopes for one big bill – to get it all done at once. But the Senate, wary of the difficulty of passing a single, all-inclusive package, would prefer to see it done in two.
Both halves of Congress intend to pass their own version – one bill in the House and two in the Senate – yet neither seems willing to consider the other’s. On Wednesday, February 12, Senate Republicans took the lead. A 61-page resolution proposed by Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC), while the House GOP still struggled to come to an agreement of their own, passed through the Budget Committee by a party-line 11-10 vote.
One might argue that the upper chamber already led the way in achieving Trump’s goals, thanks to the success – so far – of the confirmation votes. Even the most controversial and contentious Trump nominees are making it through the Senate, despite all the Democratic efforts to the contrary. Republicans confirmed Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense 50-50, requiring VP JD Vance to break the tie. Tulsi Gabbard made it through to become director of national intelligence, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was appointed to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, both by 52-48 votes. The only Republican to oppose all three was former party leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. Kash Patel, Trump’s controversial pick to lead the FBI, was advanced out of committee along party lines on Thursday, February 13 – the very day the full Senate confirmed RFK Jr. – and will likely succeed in his confirmation vote next week.
But the House GOP hopes to regain any lost ground by getting it all done in one fell swoop. The House Budget Committee, finally agreeing on a framework of its own, marked up its one big bill on Thursday, February 13. Still, while the Senate resolution might come to a floor vote early next week, the House’s efforts will be delayed longer because the lower chamber is recessed until the following week. […]
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