House Republicans push forward on border security, tax cut and DOGE legislation

A vote to advance a bill that provides a framework to begin ironing out the details of the reconciliation bill passed the House along party lines on Tuesday afternoon. That sets up a vote later in the evening to approve the framework and allow the weekslong process of finalizing the package to begin.

U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde said there is much in the framework to love, including new national defense spending plus a requirement that overall federal spending be reduced by at least $1.5 trillion. He said he is ready to start that conversation in hopes that Republicans can identify even more in savings.

“That’s why we set it up that way,” said Clyde, who represents northeast Georgia. “You know, there’s no upper limit of what we can do in spending cuts.”

Clyde has advocated for dismantling the U.S. Department of Education and said that is one place where additional savings can be found.

The House bill is intended to lead to more money for immigration enforcement and national defense, an extension of tax cuts approved during Trump’s first term to the tune of about $4.5 trillion. As part of the offsetting cuts to government spending elsewhere, about $800 billion would come from Medicaid and other safety net programs.

If the House framework is approved Tuesday, it goes to the Senate for consideration. Both chambers must sign off on the plan for the reconciliation process to begin.

But Senate Republicans moved forward last week with a version of their own. Unlike the “one big beautiful bill” in the House that Trump has praised for including most of his legislative priorities in a single package, the Senate proposal is scaled down. It mainly contains new border security and defense spending.

That made it easier for Senate Republicans to support the package, and it advanced with the support of all but Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul.

Several House Republicans have said they will vote no on the more expansive House proposal, which is scheduled to come to the floor for an initial procedural vote Tuesday afternoon. The reasons are varied. Some members said they cannot support a bill that could lead to steep cuts in Medicaid, while others said they don’t believe the proposed spending cuts go far enough in reducing the national debt.

This debate on the spending package is occurring simultaneously as lawmakers must also address day-to-day funding for the federal government, which runs out on March 14.

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is supportive of the reconciliation bill but expressed concern about how lawmakers will address government funding.

She wrote on social media that she worries House leaders will eventually propose a “continuing resolution” that keeps agencies funded mostly at current levels. She said that would allow a continuation of programs that have already been identified as fraudulent, duplicative or wasteful by the Department of Government Efficiency initiative helmed by Trump ally Elon Musk.

“If Congress passes another CR that will be a continuing resolution that refunds everything in the previous omnibus including ALL the garbage DOGE has been exposing and cutting out,” wrote Greene, R-Rome. “Government funding runs out March 14th. Beware the Ides of March.”

There is disagreement, both in Congress and across the nation, as to how successful DOGE has been in targeting waste and whether the layoffs and pauses in funding are affecting essential services. Already, court rulings have forced DOGE to pause or walk back some of its cost-cutting efforts, including firings of certain employees.

Democrats have been unified in both chambers against the reconciliation process.

In the House, criticism has focused mostly on the potential reductions to Medicaid, Medicare and food stamps that benefit poor, disabled and elderly Americans. U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams said people are not happy as they learn that these programs are being affected partially to fund tax cuts for the wealthy.

She and other Georgia Democrats, including Reps. Sanford Bishop and Hank Johnson, attended a rally outside the U.S. Capitol to decry the GOP proposal ahead of Tuesday’s vote. Nearby, dozens of protesters representing left-leaning organizations chanted “do something” and held up signs decrying Musk’s influence on government spending deliberations.

“I’m hearing from people across the district, across the state and across the country that are being impacted — not just Democrats, not independents, but Republicans as well,” said Williams, an Atlanta Democrat. “These are Americans that are being impacted by these cuts that are not in line with what they voted for, even people who voted for Donald Trump.”