President Donald Trump’s budget plan is facing a major roadblock, with House Republicans making it clear that the Senate GOP’s version of the budget is “dead on arrival,” calling it “very offensive.”
Tensions are rising between the two Republican-led chambers of Congress, as conservative members of the House are furious over what they see as a weak, inadequate budget plan that does little to rein in spending.
The Senate’s budget blueprint, designed to push Trump’s key priorities, including tax cuts, tougher immigration controls, and a boost in domestic energy production, has been met with strong resistance in the House. Conservatives are particularly upset over the modest spending cuts in the Senate proposal, which could lead to higher deficits instead of the significant reductions they had hoped for.
After Trump endorsed the Senate’s plan, House Republicans are now under intense pressure to support it. But this support is hard to come by, as the divisions within the GOP are becoming more apparent. The new tariffs Trump imposed earlier this week caused markets to plummet, adding to the urgency for Republicans to push through Trump’s priorities—yet that pressure is only intensifying the internal battle.
The budget debate is only the latest hurdle for Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and his leadership team. Already grappling with disputes over proxy voting for new parents, Johnson must now navigate the increasingly fractured GOP conference.
The Senate’s plan has been widely rejected by conservatives in the House, who argue that it does not go nearly far enough in cutting federal spending. “THE SENATE VERSION IS DEAD ON ARRIVAL,” said Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC), a member of the House Freedom Caucus. “What they sent back was not a serious counter to our House version.”
Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) took a similarly hard line, calling the Senate’s budget “offensive” and “a joke,” adding, “I’m a hard no on this junk.” These conservatives are particularly angry about the Senate’s proposal to cut just $4 billion from the federal budget—far less than the $1.5 trillion in cuts the House had proposed.
Ogles emphasized how out of touch he felt the Senate’s approach was. “$1.5 trillion, that was a serious offer from the House of Representatives,” he said. “A $3 to $4 billion cut is offensive to the American people, it’s a joke, it should not have been presented.”
In response, Senate Republicans argued that their plan was only a starting point, promising that the $4 billion figure would rise in the coming weeks. However, House conservatives remain skeptical. Norman, for one, insists that any deal must include the $2 trillion in cuts that were part of the House’s original budget plan.
Another anonymous House Republican voiced frustration, saying the Senate’s approach seemed designed to sideline the House’s demands. “Different instructions is code for: ‘We’re the Senate and our instructions will win out,’” the lawmaker said. “That’s not going to fly.”
Even Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-Texas), chair of the House Budget Committee, voiced concerns. He worried that deficit-conscious Republicans in the House would never support a plan that increases the deficit. “I can’t imagine any world where deficit hawks in the House would ever walk away from the reconciliation process with the deficit going up at the rate it would with that framework,” he said.
Adding fuel to the fire, conservatives are also upset about the Senate’s use of accounting tricks to make the extension of Trump’s 2017 tax cuts seem cost-free. This approach would not reflect the estimated $4 trillion price tag calculated by the Congressional Budget Office, leading critics to argue that it’s an irresponsible way of masking the true cost of the tax cuts.
Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) put it bluntly, saying, “Adopting a policy baseline does not change basic math.” He argued that the Senate wasn’t facing up to the real numbers.
The standoff between House conservatives and the Senate is complicated by the divided nature of the GOP. While hardline Republicans demand deeper cuts, moderates are increasingly uneasy about slashing programs like Medicaid, which many of their constituents rely on. These moderates are pushing for smaller cuts, similar to those in the Senate plan.
Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), representing a swing district, made it clear that he and others would back a plan closer to the Senate’s numbers. “The end bill will be more like the Senate’s numbers,” he said. “There’s about 20 of us who are public that we won’t support Medicaid cuts that hurt patients or hospitals.”
Rep. David Valadao (R-Calif.), another moderate, agreed, predicting that the Senate’s approach would ultimately prevail. “I think ultimately the Senate’s gonna win out,” he said. “The numbers are probably more aligned with where most members are. But it is going to be a complicated flight.”
Speaker Johnson now faces the difficult task of trying to bring both factions of the party together. The GOP’s slim majority in the House means that just a few defections could sink the entire plan. With Democrats likely to oppose the measure unanimously, Johnson can afford to lose only three votes from his own party.
Johnson plans to bring the budget to the floor next week, assuming the Senate moves forward with it this weekend. He referred to the upcoming vote as the “kickoff” for the budget reconciliation process. However, the path ahead remains uncertain, and the infighting within the GOP shows no signs of easing.
Trump’s involvement could be the key to uniting the party. He has previously rallied House Republicans behind his agenda, and this time, he quickly endorsed the Senate’s plan on his Truth Social platform, urging all Republicans to “UNIFY” and pass the bill “IMMEDIATELY!”
Meanwhile, the recent election of two new Republican members from Florida has given Johnson a slightly larger cushion in the House, though the margin is still razor-thin. Johnson expressed optimism, saying, “The margin is a little more comfortable. We can move, what, three votes now, or something. We’re gonna build consensus around this, we’re excited.”
However, with the GOP so deeply divided, the road to passing Trump’s budget is far from clear.
