House approves key budget blueprint to unlock Trump’s agenda

House Republicans have taken a critical step to advance President Donald Trump’s tax cuts and border priorities through Congress, a major win for party leadership after quelling a conservative rebellion over the plan’s price tag.

House Republicans have taken a critical step to advance President Donald Trump’s tax cuts and border priorities through Congress, a major win for party leadership after quelling a conservative rebellion over the plan’s price tag. The Thursday morning vote on the Senate’s budget blue print – a key initial step in the long budget process – will ultimately allow Republicans to muscle the president’s first big legislative measure over a Democratic filibuster. It capped a dramatic week for Speaker Mike Johnson, who was forced to call off plans for a vote on the contentious measure just hours earlier after nearly 20 Republicans demanded a guarantee of steep spending cuts. GOP leaders ultimately convinced them to back the plan for how, punting bigger – and more difficult – fights on spending for the coming weeks. It marked a win for Johnson, who has repeatedly relied on Trump to pass contentious bills that his conservatives hate. The speaker met with the last group of holdouts ahead of the vote Thursday morning, as he sought to avoid an embarrassing defeat from his conference. And Trump applied pressure, promoting his “big, beautiful, bill” on Truth Social and making calls to lawmakers. Rep. Ralph Norman told CNN that a conversation with Trump helped to flip his vote. “This has evolved over the last 24 hours. You’ve got the speaker, you’ve got the president, you’ve for Thune,” the South Carolina Republican said.