President Trump on Wednesday endorsed House Republicans’ proposal to move forward with one all-encompassing policy and tax cut plan, dismissing Senate Republicans’ efforts to break up his agenda into smaller pieces more easily moved through the chamber.
On his website Truth Social, Mr. Trump said he favored the House approach and “one big beautiful bill” because it “implements my FULL America First Agenda, EVERYTHING, not just parts of it!”
He continued: “We need both Chambers to pass the House Budget.”
The president’s comments did little to end the monthslong debate on Capitol Hill about how best to roll out his sweeping legislative agenda, which includes enhanced border enforcement and a range of tax cuts.
Senate Republicans said they planned to continue with their tactic of advancing Mr. Trump’s agenda in pieces — by first moving a border-enforcement bill — and expressed skepticism that House Republicans, who have been riven by bitter infighting, would be able to reconcile their differences to produce a final product.
“He’s made it clear for a long time that he would prefer one big, beautiful bill, and we’re fine with that too,” Senator John Thune of South Dakota, the majority leader, said after Mr. Trump’s post. “If the House can produce one big, beautiful bill, we’re prepared to work with them to get that across the finish line. But we believe that the president also likes optionality.”
Mr. Trump’s announcement came just hours after he gave conflicting directions to congressional Republicans on how they should proceed with regards to cuts to social safety net programs.