The last time the House Budget Committee had a crucial blueprint for a high-stakes party-line bill hanging by a thread, Chair Jodey Arrington called the question — forcing his panel’s fiscal hawks to go on the record and vote down a major priority for President Donald Trump.
Arrington said Wednesday he doesn’t expect to be so bold this week, as he and top House GOP leaders seek to muscle through a fresh budget reconciliation framework.
“I don’t know that I would squeeze my guys at this point. I don’t think I would. Not right now. Not the way I did then,” the Texas Republican told reporters Wednesday. “I don’t think I’m going to need to, though.”
Arrington plans to mark up a budget resolution Thursday that would advance a $95 billion party-line package to deliver the fresh cash Trump is seeking for the Pentagon, farm assistance and more.
Just like with last year’s tax-cuts-focused megabill, several of the panel’s fiscal hawks are demanding that new spending be offset by other savings.
“There are so many ways that we can save taxpayer dollars that I’m thinking there are probably some offsets that can be included,” Rep. Ben Cline (R-Va.) said Wednesday, explaining that he wanted “to get to a place” where he could support the spending plan in committee this week.
Several other Budget Republicans, including Reps. Andrew Clyde of Georgia and Ralph Norman of South Carolina, said they were undecided on how they would vote Thursday.
But Arrington said he doesn’t think hardball tactics will be needed this time. He said he does not plan to call a vote Thursday if it becomes clear the blueprint would tank like last year.
“It was a different time and place in the process of the first big signature bill that we couldn’t fail on,” Arrington said about his move to smoke out the megabill skeptics.
“This one, it’s moving quickly. It’s been iterative, and they’ve come with me,” Arrington said about the latest party-line plan.
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