May 20, 2025 - Politics & Policy

Scoop: Johnson privately cautions Senate GOP on Trump's budget bill

Stef W. Kight

US House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, left, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican from South Dakota, during a news conference at the US Capitol — House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican from South Dakota. Photo: Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images

House Speaker Mike Johnson cautioned the Senate in a closed door lunch on Tuesday not to make big changes to the reconciliation bill, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: If Johnson can get his conference in line, his problem will soon be Senate Majority Leader John Thune's (R-S.D.)— with an important July deadline looming on the debt ceiling.

Sources tell Axios that Johnson projected a lot of confidence in the meeting.
Johnson told senators "we're going to land this plane" and to expect a vote on Wednesday night, according to one attendee.

Zoom in: President Trump warned House conservatives on Tuesday to not "f**k around" with Medicaid, and told blue state holdouts to take Johnson's offer on the SALT deduction cap.

Multiple House lawmakers — including SALT holdout Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.) say they're still a "no" at this point.

Zoom out: The Senate does not expect to simply pass the House bill as is. Thune has his own potential detractors, with only three votes to spare.

The Senate GOP may accept changes to SALT.
But some senators may want changes to Medicaid, renewable energy subsidies and spending cuts specifics.

Editor's note: This is a breaking news story and has been updated.

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Scoop: Johnson privately cautions Senate GOP on Trump's budget bill

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