Republican leaders raced Wednesday to pass a budget that will tee up Donald Trump's sweeping proposed tax cuts, as a rank-and-file rebellion over spending threatened one of the US president's signature policies.
Both chambers of Congress are Republican-led but fiscal hawks in the House of Representatives are angry over what they see as insufficient cuts in the blueprint passed Saturday by their Senate colleagues.
The chambers need to adopt identical versions of the budget before lawmakers can begin ushering into law Trump's domestic agenda -- led by the tax cuts, immigration enforcement and boosted energy production -- in one giant bill.
The task has been complicated by Trump's frenzy of tariffs, which have rocked equity markets and led to fears of a looming recession -- making the case for reduced government spending to pay for tax cuts a tough sell.
"Republicans, it is more important now, than ever, that we pass THE ONE, BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL," Trump posted on social media, with House leadership eyeing an evening vote on the resolution's final passage.
"The USA will Soar like never before!!!"
Multiple House Republicans have said they will reject the resolution, with many more undecided, a headache for Speaker Mike Johnson as he bids to muscle it through his fractious, razor-thin 220-213 major
"Republicans have a historic, once-in-a-generation opportunity to deliver relief to hard working families and set our country back on the path of prosperity," he told reporters at the US Capitol.
"The American people desperately need us to take this action, and we will."
Congress is due to shut up shop Thursday for a two-week spring recess, putting Republicans on the clock.
- 'Unserious and disappointing' -
Some want to tackle the bill after the break but party leaders worry about the impact of delays on Trump's priorities and want to send a positive signal to the stock market on his tax cuts.
The House produced its own budget plan in February, featuring $1.5 trillion in cuts and raising the national borrowing limit by $4 trillion to cover an extension of Trump's 2017 tax cuts.
Senators made changes when they passed their version, requiring their committees to find as little as $4 billion in reductions and envisioning a $5 trillion hike in the debt ceiling.
House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington -- one of a number of senior Republicans who have raised eyebrows by breaking with the leadership -- called the Senate resolution "unserious and disappointing."
Johnson is seeking an evening vote on final passage after a key procedural vote in the afternoon and is arguing against amending the Senate-passed resolution.
Trump intervened personally on Tuesday, summoning around two dozen holdouts to the White House to bring them into line.
US media, citing sources in the room, reported that the president committed to spending cuts that would go far beyond the Senate plans -- whatever ends up on the statute books.
"They have to do this. We have to get there. I think we are there. We had a great meeting today," Trump said in an address to the National Republican Congressional Committee Dinner in Washington after the meeting.
"But just in case there are a couple of Republicans out there: you just gotta get there. Close your eyes and get there. It's a phenomenal bill. Stop grandstanding."
Johnson said the talks were making "great progress" and added that a lot of skeptical lawmakers had seen their concerns answered.
But many spending hawks appeared not to have been swayed, with several members of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus insisting they would still be voting no.