Name: House to Vote on Budget Blueprint Amid Uncertain Support
Uploaded: 2025-02-26T10:22:36.000Z
Description: WASHINGTON—The U.S. House of Representatives on Feb. 25 is expected to vote on a budget blueprint for carrying out President Donald Trump’s agenda as the outcome of that vote remains uncertain.

Jack Bradley is a Washington correspondent for NTD News based in Washington, D.C. Jack previously anchored "NTD Newsroom" and worked as an assistant producer for the show. 

Jack Bradley

NTD Plus

News

News with integrity, from the U.S. and around the world. Focused reports and analyses that shed light on major issues the world deserves to know. NTD Evening News airs daily at 6 p.m. ET.

NTD Evening News

China’s Broken Promises Loom Over New Trade Deals

David Lam is a national correspondent based in California and a part-time anchor for "NTD Tonight." Before joining NTD he was a financial analyst.

David Lam

Californians React as Trump Calls for Gas Tax Suspension

Arleen Richards is NTD's legal correspondent based at the network's global headquarters in New York City, where she covers all major legal stories. Arleen holds a Doctor of Law (J.D.).


Arleen Richards

Federal Agencies Announce ‘Summer Surge’ of Law Enforcement into DC Ahead of 250th Anniversary

Christina Corona is a California-based reporter for NTD News. She primarily covers California news, politics, and entertainment.  

Christina Corona

Trump Administration Reports Zero Border Releases

Arian Pasdar is an international correspondent for NTD News based in South America. His reporting focuses on immigration and key events in Latin America.

Arian Pasdar

US to Host 1st Ever World Cup Final Halftime Show, Featuring Shakira, Madonna

Savannah Pointer is a politics reporter for The Epoch Times. She can be reached at savannah.pointer@epochtimes.us

Savannah Hulsey Pointer

Jason Perry is an Army veteran and NTD's National Security Correspondent based at the network's global headquarters in New York City. Jason primarily covers border security, national defense, foreign wars, and veterans' issues.

Jason Perry

Health News

Texas Children's Hospital to Open First-Ever Detransition Clinic Under Deal With DOJ

Sam Wang is a Washington correspondent for NTD News based in Washington, D.C. Sam covers politics on Capitol Hill, and U.S.-China relations. 

Sam Wang

Citizens Honor Police for Their Service and Sacrifice

Cary Dunst is the news anchor for NTD Evening News. He is also the co-host of NTD Good Morning.


Cary Dunst

Trump ‘Projecting American Influence and Leadership’ on Iran Issue in Beijing: China Expert

Chris Bob is a reporter for NTD and a host of "Profiles of Service." He is also a small business owner. Chris graduated from Union College with a concentration in politics and religion in Russia and the former Soviet Union.

Chris Bob

Senate Panel Advances Crypto Regulation Bill

Jason Blair is a national correspondent for NTD News based in California. 

Jason Blair

Lawmakers Weigh ‘Sanctuary’ Polices After Woman’s Death in Virginia

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (May 15)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (May 14)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (May 13)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (May 12)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (May 11)

Don Ma is an anchor and senior business correspondent based at the network's global headquarters in New York City. Don is the anchor and producer of NTD's "Business Matters," which airs weekdays at 4:30 pm ET.

Don Ma

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (May 10)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (May 9)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (May 8)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (May 7)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (May 6)

NTD Newsroom comprises teams of reporters, editors, and producers assigned to cover breaking news and other stories.


NTD Newsroom

Fast, compelling, first-hand news from China. China in Focus airs Monday–Friday at 8 p.m. ET.

China in Focus

China Sends Warships to Pacific Drill as Tensions With Japan Rise

Reuters is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages.

Reuters

We present news that is truthful and based on facts, outside of the political fog. Instead of focusing on the negative things happening around us, our mission is to give our viewers a good morning with empathetic and uplifting stories. Our aim is to provide an antidote to negativity by shining a light on the best side of people. We speak to inspiring people who positively impact communities, pursue topics that represent our common human values, and will never miss an opportunity to bring you heartwarming stories.

NTD Good Morning

2 US Embassy Personnel Assigned to Cartel Case Killed in Car Accident

The Associated Press is an American not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. 

The Associated Press

US News

Gunman Kills 8 Children, Including 7 of His Own, in Louisiana Mass Shooting

Flora Hua is a reporter based at NTD's global headquarters in New York City, where she covers China news, U.S.-China relations, and human rights issues. Flora primarily contributes to NTD's "China in Focus."  

Flora Hua

Trump: Seized Iranian Ship May Have ‘A Gift From China’

Joseph Lord is a congressional reporter for The Epoch Times.


Joseph Lord

Aldgra Fredly is a freelance writer covering U.S. and Asia Pacific news for The Epoch Times.

Aldgra Fredly

Former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani Hospitalized in Critical Condition: Spokesman

Wildfires Across Georgia and Florida Have Destroyed Nearly 50 Homes and Are Forcing Evacuations

News you can trust from the U.S. and around the world. Critical information and insight. We cover the stories that others don’t. NTD News Today airs Monday–Friday at 11 a.m. ET.

NTD News Today

US Warns of China Hacks via Routers, Smart Devices

Juliet Song is an international correspondent exclusively covering China news for NTD. She primarily contributes to NTD's "China in Focus," covering U.S.-China relations, the Chinese regime's human rights abuses, and domestic unrest inside China.

Juliet Song

2 Americans Among Suspected Communist Rebels Killed in Clashes With Troops, Philippine Officials Say

Ryan Morgan is a reporter for The Epoch Times focusing on military and foreign affairs. He was previously a news writer for NTD. 


Ryan Morgan

Mari Otsu is NTD's White House correspondent based in Washington. 

Mari Otsu

World News

Middle East

Iran

3 US Warships Fend Off Iranian Attacks, Trump Says Ceasefire Still Holds

3 Dead in Suspected Hantavirus Outbreak on Cruise Ship in Atlantic Ocean: WHO

WASHINGTON—The U.S. House of Representatives on Feb. 25 is expected to vote on a budget blueprint for carrying out President Donald Trump’s agenda as the outcome of that vote remains uncertain.

The resolution is the first step toward passage of House Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) “one big, beautiful bill” funding plan, which would wrap all of Trump’s priorities into a single massive package. It would authorize House committees to make spending cuts and offer budgetary policy proposals related to the border, defense, energy, and tax policy.

Specifically, the blueprint orders at least $1.5 trillion in spending cuts over a decade, authorizes $4.5 trillion in tax cuts, and would raise the debt ceiling by $4 trillion.

But ongoing divisions in the House GOP conference over a variety of provisions in the blueprint, including its potential impacts on Medicaid and the federal deficit, leave the outcome of that vote uncertain. Multiple Republicans have expressed opposition to the blueprint as it stands.

With Republicans currently holding just 218 seats in the lower chamber to Democrats’ 215, Johnson can spare only a single defection on the package—raising the possibility that the resolution may ultimately be pulled from the floor ahead of the vote.

Johnson and House Republican leadership have insisted that in spite of these hurdles, they expect the resolution will pass this week.
<h2>Controversy Over Medicaid, Spending Cuts</h2>
This uncertainty comes as Johnson faces backlash from multiple Republicans over a directive in the budget blueprint calling for the House Energy and Commerce Committee to find $880 billion in spending cuts. Such steep cuts would practically necessitate slashing Medicaid funding.

Democrats have already moved to accuse Republicans of planning to cut Medicaid, while Johnson and GOP leadership have insisted that any cuts to Medicaid would be the result of rooting out fraud and corruption within the program.

But several purple district Republicans are concerned by the lack of specificity, and face potential political fallout from substantial cuts to the entitlement program.

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) said during a Feb. 24 appearance on Fox News that she had concerns about discussions around cutting as much as $2 trillion in spending over a decade, and was looking for “clarity” from leadership about how those cuts could be accomplished.

She specifically cited concerns around the potential for cuts to Medicaid, saying, “In the $2 trillion they wanna cut, where does Medicaid actually fit in there?”

Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.) expressed similar concerns, telling reporters that he raised the Medicaid angle in a phone call with Trump.

Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.)—whose Omaha-based district voted for Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024—also has yet to commit to a vote on the package.

On the other side of the House GOP ideological spectrum, conservatives have also indicated reservations.

Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.) has said outright that she’s a no on the blueprint as is.

In a Feb. 23 <a href="https://x.com/repspartz/status/1893809859591631201?s=46" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">post</a> on X announcing her opposition, Spartz said she wanted greater scrutiny of the increase in Medicaid spending over the past decade, arguing that the automatic nature of this spending makes it a possible source of waste and corruption.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) also signaled that he was opposed to the budget blueprint.

In a Feb. 24 <a href="https://x.com/RepThomasMassie/status/1894160543734288780" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">post</a> on X, Massie wrote, “If the Republican budget passes, the deficit gets worse, not better.”
<h2>A Test for Johnson</h2>
Amid mounting Republican criticism of the budget blueprint, the vote represents an important moment for the speaker.

Senate Republicans are skeptical of Johnson’s ability to corral his slim majority and have already barreled ahead with an alternative two-part plan that Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) says is meant to provide “optionality” to the White House.

For Johnson, who first took the gavel in October 2023, the success of this vote would provide a credibility boost among both skeptical senators and Trump.

Johnson, speaking at an Americans for Prosperity event on Feb. 24, requested prayers ahead of the vote, acknowledging the stakes.

“This is a prayer request,” Johnson said. “Just pray this through for us, because it is very high-stakes, and everybody knows that.”

Still, while he acknowledged the potential for more than one defector, he expressed confidence that “we’ll get there.”

In addressing critics, Johnson has noted that a vote for the blueprint is not a vote for any piece of legislation.

The final shape of the package would not emerge until after weeks or months of work by House committees to identify spending cuts and draft spending and policy proposals.

<em>From <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/house-to-vote-on-budget-blueprint-amid-uncertain-support-5815721">The Epoch Times</a></em>

Latest

Videos

Politics

01_Lead Story

04_Top Stories

Latest Clips

Management

02_Second Lead

Executive Branch

Congress

Donald Trump

Luis Eduardo Martinez is a correspondent for NTD News based in Washington. He holds a master’s degree in International Relations and Democratic Politics from the University of Westminster in London, England.

Luis Eduardo Martinez

Latest and breaking news, documentaries, movies, and lifestyle content on NTD+.
 
Empower your knowledge and elevate your spirit with NTD+, your go-to destination for truthful news, insightful documentaries, and captivating lifestyle content that enriches your life.