It’s a make-or-break day for President Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson as their teams look to muscle the party’s mammoth tax-and-spending bill through the House as-is.
This is their last hurdle and also, potentially, their tallest: The version the Senate passed Tuesday irked both conservatives and moderates by trimming less in spending and more from Medicaid, respectively.
With votes expected as soon as this afternoon, leaders are also watching closely to see if weather delays members’ flights. Trump has already begun working the phones, according to an administration official, as have others in the White House, like Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought.
Those on the front lines are projecting optimism: House Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith — who’s huddled with Vice President JD Vance to strategize, according to a person familiar — told reporters the Senate “struck a very good balance.”