House Republicans approve budget blueprint, a critical step in advancing Trump’s agenda

House Republicans have taken a critical step to advance President Donald Trump’s tax cuts and border priorities through Congress, a major win for party leadership after quelling a conservative rebellion over the plan’s price tag.

Today’s key vote: The morning vote on the Senate’s budget blueprint — a critical initial step in the long budget process – will ultimately allow Republicans to muscle the president’s first big legislative measure over a Democratic filibuster. It capped a dramatic week for Speaker Mike Johnson, who was forced to call off plans for a vote on the contentious measure just hours earlier after nearly 20 Republicans demanded a guarantee of steep spending cuts.

GOP leaders ultimately convinced them to back the plan for how, punting bigger — and more difficult — fights on spending for the coming weeks. It marked a win for Johnson, who has repeatedly relied on Trump to pass contentious bills that his conservatives hate.

The speaker met with the last group of holdouts ahead of the vote this morning, as he sought to avoid an embarrassing defeat from his conference. And Trump applied pressure, promoting his “big, beautiful, bill” on Truth Social and making calls to lawmakers. Rep. Ralph Norman told CNN that a conversation with Trump himself helped flip his vote.

In a tense floor conversation prior to the vote, Johnson offered assurances to a group of centrist Republicans that the GOP would protect Medicaid in its future reconciliation bill, according to a person familiar with the discussion.

Read more about today’s House vote and expected next steps.