Washington
UJ
—
As House Republicans prepare for their first significant vote to promote President Donald Trump’s initiatives, several prominent members are expressing their concerns to Speaker Mike Johnson, emphasizing that they will not merely approve extensive cuts across the federal budget without scrutiny.
Johnson intends to initiate a vote on Tuesday regarding a comprehensive budget proposal aiming to enforce $2 trillion in reductions over ten years in order to fund tax reductions and increase national security expenditures. However, the proposal’s future appears uncertain as growing discontent emerges from constituents nationwide over the abrupt spending freezes and layoffs among federal employees initiated by billionaire Elon Musk.
“This needs to be handled with precision, not blunt force. We must protect those who depend on Medicaid, the elderly in nursing homes, and individuals with disabilities,” Rep. Jeff Van Drew, a Republican from New Jersey, stated in an interview with UJ.
Van Drew, who has faced protests outside his office in South Jersey, mentioned he has sought “assurances” from Johnson before considering support for Trump’s agenda.
He is not alone in his feelings. Several other Republicans, including Reps. Nicole Malliotakis from New York and Don Bacon from Nebraska, are hesitant to endorse Johnson’s budget proposal until party leaders provide guarantees that vital federal assistance programs such as Medicaid, food aid, and Pell grants will remain intact, according to numerous individuals familiar with the discussions.
Bacon voiced his intention to support Trump’s initiatives regarding national security, energy production, and tax reform. “However, significant reductions to Medicaid are not acceptable, and the current proposal seems to suggest just that,” he explained to UJ.
Many Republicans who lean towards the center, including Bacon, initially refrained from criticizing the new administration during the early days of Trump’s presidency. Yet, a month into Trump’s second term, a growing number of lawmakers are publicly cautioning against some of the president’s recent strategies to disrupt the norm in Washington, including his cost-cutting task force led by Musk and his advocates for a budget plan that could significantly reduce funding from major low-income health programs.
Last week, numerous GOP lawmakers encountered inquiries during town halls and local interviews regarding the immediate effects of Trump’s swift plans to shrink the federal government.
In New Jersey, Van Drew articulated worries regarding layoffs in a local Federal Aviation Administration office. In Alaska, Rep. Nick Begich faced criticism from local leaders concerning a federal funding lockdown that could increase the risk of power outages. In Ohio, Rep. Troy Balderson bluntly expressed during a local business meeting that some of Trump’s unilateral decisions might have overstepped bounds.
“It’s Congress that should determine the future of the Department of Education, not the president or Elon Musk,” Balderson asserted, as reported by The Columbus Dispatch.
Several states away, Rep. Rich McCormick, a military veteran and staunch budget advocate from Georgia, was met with jeers during a town hall as he was questioned about reductions to local health programs run by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“I believe that executive privilege is overly robust. We are currently out of balance. Regardless of your feelings towards me, I am your closest representation,” McCormick stated as he was greeted with disdain from the audience.
The rising discontent among certain House Republicans complicates things for Johnson and his leadership team as they work to secure the necessary votes for the impending budget vote on Tuesday. For instance, some New York Republicans remain furious with Musk’s team for targeting a fund for 9/11 survivors, even though those cuts were quickly retracted.
Conservative Republicans suggest that they believe their more moderate colleagues will ultimately support the budget plan. However, the ongoing frustrations from the center act as a caution sign for GOP leaders as they draft and attempt to pass the substantial measure with no margin for error — all while protecting their majority in 2026.
“This is a challenging situation. It’s not something that can be managed easily, and a heavy-handed approach won’t work,” Van Drew noted when discussing the GOP’s aspirations to cut spending, a goal he generally supports. “There is a significant amount of work to be done.”
Some Republicans already believe privately that the proposed cuts in the latest version of the House GOP budget were overly aggressive for a singular measure, according to multiple members and senior staff who requested anonymity. They worry that achieving this level of reduction could inevitably affect benefits for programs such as Medicaid, even though Trump has assured that the program would be safeguarded.
House Republicans had not always been aligned with the $2 trillion target. Johnson’s team negotiated a compromise with hardline conservatives who opposed the figure after the Louisiana Republican initially indicated his support for a target nearer to $1 trillion.
Currently, House Republicans are moving forward with the revised plan without any guarantee it will pass in their narrowly split chamber. Johnson can only afford to lose a minimal number of votes regarding the budget.
Adding to the complexity, Senate Republicans are proposing a more straightforward and less contentious approach to kickstart Trump’s agenda. That chamber successfully passed a narrow budget proposal Friday morning designed to allocate new funds for border and military initiatives without the politically charged cuts that could impact swing districts.
However, this plan also faces opposition from some House members who fear that neglecting to address the contentious issue of renewing Trump’s tax cuts could lead to their eventual expiration.
Furthermore, it’s not only Republicans from battleground districts who are seeking assurances from Johnson regarding the impending reductions.
A coalition of Hispanic Republicans, fronted by Rep. Tony Gonzales from Texas, dispatched an open letter to Johnson last week, urging the party to refrain from slashing Medicaid and food assistance benefits, emphasizing that such actions would directly impact their constituents.
They cautioned that cutting Medicaid would yield “serious repercussions,” especially within Hispanic communities, which they characterized as crucial to the “future of the Republican party.”
