by Mark Steffen at Trending Politics
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) pulled off the nearly unthinkable Thursday morning, securing passage of a budget that absorbs most of the changes left in place by U.S. Senate Republicans.
The 216-214 vote saw just two Republicans — Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Victoria Spartz (R-IN) — break with colleagues to pass President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful” tax package, a key priority that Johnson has been tasked with shepherding through amid an ongoing tariff war.
It represents a significant win for the second-term GOP leader and underscores his skill at corralling some of the GOP’s wiliest figures, including Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) and other fiscal hawks who publicly complained about how the bill would add to the deficit.
The bill, soon to be signed into law by President Trump, will serve as the GOP’s blueprint for slashing federal spending on top of the cuts brought about by the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency, which continues its crusade to save a predicted $1 trillion in its first year.
President Trump spent the final days of negotiations calling hesitant lawmakers in a bid to extend his signature 2017 tax cuts. Although the spending will not be entirely paid for, he and Johnson have promised to partially cover the cost through deep cuts to the federal workforce.
Fiscal conservatives are believed to have secured…