The Need for Speed on President Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill”

President Donald Trump has been in office for a little more than 100 days. It has been a time of whirlwind executive action as he has worked to restore common-sense governance and usher in a golden era for America. But now it is up to Congress to pass the president’s tax and spending policies—and to do so on “Trump time.”

House committees are quickly filling in the details of the upcoming budget bill, working to make meaningful and lasting improvements to America’s tax and spending policies. Speaker Mike Johnson has set an aggressive but achievable goal of passing the House version of the complete package by Memorial Day, and the Trump administration has made clear that the final draft should be through the Senate and ready to be signed into law by the president by the Fourth of July.

Of course, Washington is notorious for blowing through self-imposed deadlines. But this is one deadline that Republicans need to meet. 

Republicans have a trifecta—control of the White House and both chambers of Congress—for only the third time since Dwight Eisenhower was president. While it may seem routine lately because President Trump won two of those trifecta victories, it is not to be taken for granted.

In other words, this probably isn’t a once-in-a-decade opportunity for Republicans. It’s more likely a once-in-a-generation opportunity.

But it’s important to recognize that the effect of the historic budget and spending policies in the bill will not be felt immediately. It will take time for lower taxes to encourage more investment and hiring. It will take time for deregulation and more responsible spending to reduce the drag on economic growth. And it will take time for everyday Americans to recognize the economic and other benefits Republicans have delivered to their families and communities. If Congress waits too long, then the effects will not come before the midterm elections.

This is exactly what happened with the 2017 tax bill, when Republicans took until December to send a bill to the president’s desk because of the infamous thumbs down from John McCain in the summer of 2017. In part because of this delay, Republicans got little to no credit for a historic tax bill and lost the House in 2018, setting up a series of frivolous impeachments of President Trump.

Because of the Senate filibuster, it takes 60 votes to pass anything besides budget and tax bills. This also makes them hard to repeal: It takes a trifecta to beat another trifecta. As a result, the effects of previous budget and spending bills have been felt long after the president leaves office. This includes the Bush and Trump tax cuts, and much of ObamaCare, just to name a few prominent examples. It is possible that this year’s tax bill could be just as enduring and consequential, but only if Republicans move quickly.

Moving quickly will require discipline, setting aside small disagreements, and not losing sight of the forest for the trees. Both moderates and conservatives should remember that a “no” vote is a vote for the status quo—and the status quo means the expiration of the Trump tax cuts and the largest tax increase in American history.

In practice, passing President Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” will mean giving a certain due deference to Speaker Johnson, who has a narrower majority than Senate Majority Leader John Thune and thus a much more difficult task of holding the GOP caucus together. House members are disproportionately the ones facing competitive midterm races, with a relatively favorable Senate map for Republican Senate campaign chairman Tim Scott.

Senators shouldn’t underestimate how important restoring fiscal sanity is to Republican House members and their re-election prospects. This year’s tax bill may require an unprecedented degree of cooperation and collaboration between House and Senate Republicans. The good news for conservatives is it looks like that is precisely what is happening under the current leadership.

Unfortunately, some moderate Republicans have been spooked by speculative media questions in the Capitol hallways about supposed “Medicaid cuts,” which is not at all what is being discussed. Only in Washington is reducing spending increases considered a cut.

What the president and congressional leadership are actually discussing are efforts to reduce waste, fraud, and abuse. The government is aware of tens of billions of dollars in improper payments every year—but this is likely the tip of the iceberg. During my time at the FBI, I worked on numerous fraud investigations, and I can assure you that the real number is a lot higher.

The moderates should not be misled. Instead, congressional Republicans should support reforms to Medicaid, like ensuring that those who receive it are actually eligible under the law and that no illegal aliens receive benefits. Further, Republicans should implement work requirements in federal welfare programs to bring down spending and get able-bodied adults off welfare and back to work.

The good news is that Speaker Mike Johnson and House Republicans appear to be moving quickly. If Republicans are serious about tax cuts, reining in wasteful spending, and getting the country back on track, then now is the time for speed.

Stewart Whitson is a U.S. Army veteran, former FBI supervisory special agent, and attorney working as the senior director of Federal Affairs for the Foundation for Government Accountability. 

The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of AMAC or AMAC Action.