February 14, 2025 08:53 GMT
US: House Budget Committee Advances Resolution, Clears First Procedural Hurdle
US
USHomepagemarkets-real-timePolitical RiskPolitical Risk BulletBulletMarketsFixed Income BulletsForeign Exchange BulletsNorth America
The House Budget Committee advanced a budget resolution yesterday, clearing the first procedural hurdle towards legislating President Donald Trump’s agenda.
- House Budget Committee Chair Jodey Arrington (R-TX) said in remarks ahead of the vote: “This budget resolution provides the fiscal framework for what will be one of the most consequential pieces of legislation in modern history...”
- The resolution sets out a $1.5 trillion floor for spending cuts, with a target of $2 trillion; allows $4.5 trillion for tax cuts; raises the debt limit by $4 trillion; and hikes defence spending by $300 billion.
- The committee vote, the first major win over deficit hawks for House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), came after the panel adopted an amendment to include the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act (REINS) Act in the final reconciliation bill.
- Politico notes the “REINS Act” would “require Congress to approve all major rules... conservatives have long seen it as a way to cut the bureaucracy’s power [but] some lawmakers wonder whether it meets the criteria for budget reconciliation.”
- When lawmakers return from recess on the week of Feb 24, Johnson must pass the resolution on the House floor, where he can likely drop only one GOP vote. If the resolution passes, it will be incumbent on the Senate to take up the resolution. When an identical resolution is passed by both chambers, work can begin on the text of a reconciliation package.
235 words