President Trump heads to Capitol Hill to rally support for sweeping budget deal
President Donald Trump is making a high-stakes trip to Capitol Hill today, aiming to rally House Republicans behind a sweeping budget package that includes several of his top domestic policy priorities.
(NBC)- President Donald Trump is making a high-stakes trip to Capitol Hill today, aiming to rally House Republicans behind a sweeping budget package that includes several of his top domestic policy priorities.
The legislation — described by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) as “arguably the largest and most comprehensive piece of legislation that Congress has worked on in probably generations” — faces hurdles within the GOP itself. While Republicans have the numbers to pass the bill on their own, internal divisions remain over how to fund the proposed spending increases. Central sticking points include the cost of expanding immigration enforcement and extending the 2017 Trump-era tax cuts. Proposed offsets — such as cuts to Medicaid and food assistance programs — have drawn sharp criticism from within the party and fierce pushback from Democrats.
“We’ve got a few issues to resolve,” Johnson said Monday, “but we’re working with all the interested parties to do that, and I’m confident that we will.”
The legislation has already cleared a key committee vote. The House Rules Committee is expected to begin formal consideration of the bill at 1:00 a.m. Tuesday — a move that has prompted Democratic accusations of secrecy and procedural manipulation.
“Republicans know that their efforts to take away health care from millions of Americans is deeply unpopular,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), denouncing the overnight schedule as an attempt to dodge public scrutiny.
Beyond the domestic front, President Trump is also intensifying his focus on foreign affairs. On Monday, he held a two-hour phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, urging him to end the war in Ukraine.
“I said, ‘When are we gonna end this, Vladimir?’” Trump told reporters. “I said, ‘When are we gonna end this bloodshed, this bloodbath?’ And I do believe he wants to end it.”
Trump also spoke separately with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who reiterated Ukraine’s desire for a full ceasefire but expressed deep skepticism that Putin can be trusted to follow through. Despite the skepticism, President Trump announced that negotiations between Russia and Ukraine would begin immediately, with the goal of ending the years-long conflict. Still, signs of a breakthrough remain elusive. Russia has made no formal commitment to a ceasefire and, according to Ukrainian officials, just launched what they describe as the largest drone assault since the war began. President Trump has even floated the possibility of an international religious figure — Pope Leo — playing a role in facilitating negotiations, though that idea remains speculative.
