House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Wednesday his fellow Republicans are unified as they head into a crucial period to start writing legislation advancing some of President Donald Trump’s big priorities.
But their social media posts suggest otherwise.
“We are exactly where we are supposed to be on our timetable. This is all pre-planned and it’s coming together very well,” Johnson told reporters at a press conference near the end of the House Republicans annual policy retreat at Trump’s resort in Doral, Fla.
The two-and-a-half day gathering, where House GOP party members meet, socialize and hold cheerleading sessions, was meant to steel rank-and-file members for the tough political fights to come. On Monday, they heard from Trump, who said it was more important than ever to find unity, given the razor-thin margin by which Republicans hold the House.
Congressional Republicans want to keep and expand Trump’s temporary 2017 tax cuts, add money for defense spending and the border, make big spending cuts in social programs and maybe raise the debt limit this spring. To do that, they will need to pass at least one budget, which will then spin off so-called reconciliation bills they can push through later without needing Democratic votes.
But each step of that fight — from taking hard votes on budgets to the later bills, which will likely be attached to politically toxic spending cuts — will require near-unanimous party unity.
At the center of the fight will be Johnson, who will have to shepherd all of that through his chamber. After the resignations of two House GOP members to serve in Trump’s administration, Johnson only has one Republican vote now to spare if all Democrats vote against what the Republicans come up with.
Johnson said Wednesday his plan is for the House Budget Committee to consider a budget resolution — the first step in the process that would set out general parameters for later legislation — when lawmakers return to the U.S. Capitol next week. The plan would be to pass that through the House by late February.
But many basic questions about the process appeared Wednesday to be unresolved. Will there be one big bill, including taxes, spending and possibly a hike in the federal debt ceiling, or two, so those issues canbe split up? What size package or packages is the GOP looking at? What specific policies will be included?
Johnson said he’d hoped for some clarity by the time House Republicans left Florida, but many were likely already on their way home by the time GOP leaders held their press conference.
Not long after Johnson’s remarks Wednesday, the House Freedom Caucus, a group of hard-right conservative and libertarian GOP House members, appealed on social media to members on their way home.
“Are you a Republican Member of Congress leaving Miami today feeling rudderless when it comes to reconciliation? Are you worried you may be dragged into a process that will cause you to break your America First campaign promises?” the group asked. It then urged fellow Republicans to support the group’s own plan, which calls for a $4 trillion hike in the debt ceiling and two bills, with additional defense and border funding in one and taxes in the other, instead of Johnson’s still-developing plan.
House GOP leaders, including Johnson and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R-Mo.), have said they support a one-bill strategy instead, putting them at odds with the Freedom Caucus andSenate GOP leaders.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Green, who was booted from the Freedom Caucus group in 2023, voiced her own displeasure at how Johnson was handling things, as well.
“After two days at our House Republican winter retreat, we still do not have a plan on budget reconciliation and our Speaker and his team have not offered one. Not even if we are in a one bill or two bill framework, even though President Trump (who prefers one big beautiful bill) literally told us here at the start of our conference that he now does not care if it’s one or two,” she posted on social media Wednesday morning.
“Basically, just get started doing something.”
That tone was a far cry from the optimistic post she made on her personal account Monday afternoon.
“I’m excited to be at Trump National Doral Miami for a few days to work with my House Republican colleagues to pass President Trump’s MAGA agenda!” she wrote, with an American flag emoji.
Johnson for his part stressed how many House GOP members attended this year’s retreat — a turnaround from 2024 when many of them skipped the event amid concern about the party’s chances of keeping the House. He said 94% of House Republicans had been “directly engaged” in discussions over how to act on Trump’s priorities.
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“Only 14 Republicans have not directly engaged in one of the conference discussions, and some of them are because of their schedule conflicts et cetera. But every single member will be involved,” he said at the press conference.
While 14 is a small portion of the 218-member House GOP conference, Johnson’s margin for error will be even smaller.
If both of the currently vacant House seats are won by Republicans in April, as expected, that will add two more votes to Johnson’s margin. But that would still only bring the number of votes Johnson could lose to two.