The plan allocates several trillion dollars worth of spending to fund Trump’s political priorities. The Senate has passed a different plan.
WASHINGTON—The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote this week on a budget resolution for this fiscal year that will enable the passage of bills to fund the Trump administration’s America First policy initiatives.
The resolution for fiscal year 2025 authorizes over $5 trillion in new spending and directs committees of the House to make recommendations regarding how the money will be spent. It also calls for at least $1.5 trillion in spending cuts.
The largest share of spending, totaling $4.5 trillion, is allocated to the House Ways and Means Committee—intended for the extension of tax deductions that were part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017.
The measure also authorizes $100 billion for military spending, $200 billion for border security and immigration enforcement, and a separate $4 trillion increase in the federal government’s sovereign debt limit.
The House Rules Committee will consider the measure on Monday afternoon.
Separately, the Senate on Feb. 21 passed its own budget resolution—a limited version of the same plan, authorizing a $300 billion boost to border security and military spending—for the reconciliation process. It also provides for changes in energy policy, while being completely offset by cuts in mandatory spending.
Although President Donald Trump has endorsed the House’s version, lawmakers said the Senate’s plan is intended as a reserve option in case the House fails to pass its version of the resolution or the eventual bill to be drafted.
Trump, during the 2024 election, vowed to complete the construction of a wall along the border with Mexico, remove illegal immigrants physically present in the United States, and extend the TCJA’s provisions, among other promises. Each of these initiatives will require large amounts of money, which the U.S. Constitution requires Congress to appropriate. To that end, Republicans in Congress are using the reconciliation process to authorize such funding.
The reconciliation process is necessary amid unanimous Democratic opposition to Trump’s agenda. It allows Republicans to bypass Senate filibuster rules that mean support from 60 senators is needed to advance legislation.
By Arjun Singh
