President-elect Donald Trump emerged from a meeting with Senate Republicans Wednesday night insisting that, whether it’s in one bill or two, his agenda will get enacted — but his comments made clear that Republicans still haven’t settled on their strategy for getting it done.
“Whether it’s one bill or two bills, it’s going to get done one way or the other,” Trump told reporters, adding, “One bill, two bills, doesn’t matter to me. They’re going to work that out, but the end result is going to be the same.”
Trump reportedly wasn’t quite so indifferent in his meeting with GOP senators. While a number of lawmakers, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune, reportedly argued in favor of two separate bills, Trump said he prefers the idea of a single bill — “one big, beautiful bill,” as he has called it — based on Speaker Mike Johnson’s view of what can more easily pass through the House.
Key Senate Republicans have argued that separating their legislative plans into two packages would set up a quick win on border and energy measures early in Trump’s coming term, but Johnson and other House Republicans have countered that one big bill would provide more leverage over potential holdouts and has the best chance of being approved by their narrow majority.
A single reconciliation bill would likely include immigration and energy provisions, an extension of the 2017 tax cuts, major spending cuts and, potentially, an increase in the debt limit.
Some senators have warned that approach would mean putting all their eggs in one extremely fragile basket. Yet Trump reportedly pushed back vigorously against those arguing for two bills, in particular Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, the chairman of the Senate Budget Committee. “Graham got into a long back-and-forth and the longer Graham talked, the more resolute Trump got,” one source said to be familiar with the discussion told The Hill. “He said doing two is a bad idea, it will decrease our leverage. Let’s do one.”
Johnson told Politico on Wednesday that Republicans would likely decide on their approach on Thursday. “We’re coordinating both chambers to align them and we’ll make those final decisions, I think, probably by tomorrow,” he said.
Trump is reportedly set to host some Republican governors at his Mar-a-Lago club this evening before meeting with House Republicans this weekend.
