Budget vote in jeopardy as Johnson plays Republican whack-a-mole

(WASHINGTON) — House Republican leaders plan to move forward with a vote on the budget plan Tuesday night despite opposition from at least four Republicans, leaning on President Donald Trump to help convince the holdouts.

The vote on the budget blueprint to jumpstart the process to advance Trump’s agenda is set to happen Tuesday evening with Speaker Mike Johnson facing a major test in his effort to rally his rank and file.

The vote on the budget blueprint to jumpstart the process to advance Trump’s agenda is set to happen Tuesday evening with Speaker Mike Johnson facing a major test in his effort to rally his rank and file.

Johnson said that he’s meeting with some of the holdouts in the next couple hours, adding “we’re still working on” locking down the votes needed to adopt the resolution.

“We are trying to work through concerns and issues. A lot of people want to make sure we are cutting an appropriate amount … it’s a very complicated negotiation … we will get there,” he said.

This comes as GOP leaders are leaning on Trump to wrangle the holdouts and members who are undecided.

“The president has talked to a number of members. He’s made his intentions well known and he wants them to vote for this and move it along so we can start the process,” Johnson said.

Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett, one of the holdouts, said off-camera that he spoke to Trump, but declined to divulge details on the conversation. Currently there are four public no votes including Burchett: Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, Ohio Rep. Warren Davidson and Indiana Rep. Victoria Spartz. The speaker can only afford to lose two Republican defections on the vote.

Earlier Tuesday, Johnson was uncertain if the vote would happen Tuesday, suggesting it could get pushed.

“There may be a vote tonight. There may not be. Stay tuned. That’s why you get paid. Hang around here,” he said to reporters.

On Tuesday, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise actively defended the budget — contending that Democrats are “lying” when they assert that Republicans are primed to make deep cuts to Medicaid.

“This bill doesn’t even mention the word ‘Medicaid’ a single time, and yet, all Democrats are doing is lying about what’s in the budget because they don’t want to talk about the truth,” Scalise said. “Instead of just sitting back and licking their wounds that they’re completely out of touch with the American people, their only choice is to resort to lying about what’s in this vote today. There is no Medicaid in this bill. There are no Medicaid cuts in this bill. Yet that’s all they’re saying.”

While the blueprint itself does not mention Medicaid directly, it sets a goal of at least $2 trillion in cuts to mandatory federal spending, which includes funding for entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare.

Johnson and his leadership team have worked for weeks to mollify concerns.

Following a closed-door conference meeting Tuesday, Massie quipped that GOP leaders have “convinced him” to vote no — predicting the measure would actually increase the deficit by billions of dollars.

Nevertheless, Johnson defended the blueprint.

“The objective and our commitment has always been deficit neutrality. That’s the goal here. If we can reduce the deficit, even better,” Johnson said responding to accusations that the plan would increase the deficit.

Some additional Republicans are undecided including New York Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, stressing she is acting on behalf of her aging constituency.

“I’m still undecided, but I’m leaning more towards yes because I’ve gotten some clarity and assurances that make me feel comfortable allowing this process to move forward,” she said. “We have to make sure that leadership includes those of us who have large Medicaid populations in that process.”

Self-proclaimed “budget hawk” Georgia Rep. Rich McCormick said he’s still “in discussions” on whether or not to back the resolution.

“I’d like us to be more aggressive on spending cuts so we can save on things like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid,” he said.

“I am trying to figure out exactly what this entails… how this bill is going to affect the actual hard numbers, and that’s what I’m interested in,” he said.

House Democrats gathered on the Capitol steps Tuesday afternoon to protest an “assault” on democracy and the “reckless Republican budget.”

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries led the group of lawmakers, declaring that Democrats have unified their opposition against the measure.

“So let me be clear, House Democrats will not provide a single vote to this reckless Republican budget, not one, not one, not one. They will not get a single Democratic vote. Why? Because we’re voting with the American people,” he said.

Jeffries said the GOP budget plan “represents the largest Medicaid cut in American history,” adding that “children will be devastated. Families will be devastated. People with disabilities will be devastated. Seniors will be devastated. Hospitals will be devastated; nursing homes will be devastated.”

“Everything we care about is under assault. The economy is under assault. The safety net is under assault. Our very way of life as a country is under assault. Democracy itself is under assault. Donald Trump, the administration and House Republicans are hurting the American people,” he said.

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