Trump urges GOP to quickly pass his megabill: No vacation until it's done
President Trump is urging Republicans on Capitol Hill to pass the party’s sprawling tax cuts and spending package, while threatening to yank the recesses next week if the legislation is not on his desk.
The call to action comes as GOP leaders are trying to enact the “big, beautiful bill” by their self-imposed July 4 deadline, which the administration has backed.
Both chambers are scheduled to be on recess next week to celebrate Independence Day, leaving little time for Republicans to finish up their work. The Senate still has to approve the package, and then the House must give it a final stamp of approval, a pair of herculean tasks that are being stymied by a number of lingering policy disagreements.
Trump wants the first of those two parts — Senate passage — done this week, and says Republicans should remain in town to get the measure cleared.
“To my friends in the Senate, lock yourself in a room if you must, don’t go home, and GET THE DEAL DONE THIS WEEK,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Work with the House so they can pick it up, and pass it, IMMEDIATELY. NO ONE GOES ON VACATION UNTIL IT’S DONE.”
The House and Senate are both scheduled to break for recess on Friday, with lawmakers heading home for Independence Day parades and barbecues. Trump, however, is threatening to thwart that plan, saying lawmakers must remain in session until the legislation is enacted.
Republican leaders in both chambers, to be sure, have suggested the same. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) wrote in a Fox News opinion piece on Monday that the upper chamber will remain in Washington until it clears the legislation.
Thune wants to put the package on the floor in the middle of this week.
“Senators return to Washington today and we will remain here until this bill is passed,” Thune said. “We know that Democrats will fearmonger and misrepresent our efforts, and we expect them to drag this debate long into the night with unrelated issues. However, I am confident we will get this bill across the finish line.”
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), meanwhile, urged House Republicans during a closed-door conference meeting Tuesday morning to be “flexible” next week as he commits to his July 4 timeline, a source told The Hill.
It remains unclear if Republicans will be able to meet their deadline. Lawmakers are still at odds over a number of key policy issues — including Medicaid cuts, the rollback of green-energy tax credits and the state and local tax (SALT) deduction cap, among others — a group of thorny matters that have thus-far left the party fractured.
Trump on Tuesday made the case for speedy passage of the package.
“Now that we have made PEACE abroad, we must finish the job here at home by passing “THE GREAT, BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL,” and getting the Bill to my desk, ASAP,” he wrote, referring to the ceasefire he announced on Monday between Israel and Iran. “It will be a Historic Present for THE GREAT PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, as we begin the Celebration of our Country’s 250th Birthday.”