House Republicans are heading to South Florida this week for their annual issues conference, where President Donald Trump is slated to address lawmakers as they discuss the GOP agenda for the next two years. The conference being held at Trump National Doral, his golf course and resort near Miami, further underscores the House GOP’s efforts to align with Trump and promote unity within the party. “He’s going to come and address the Republicans there, and we’re looking forward to that,” Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., confirmed to reporters last week.
Trump has been clear about his intention to closely monitor the Republican majorities in the House and Senate this year, especially as they strategize on using their majority to push through a major conservative policy overhaul through the budget reconciliation process. By lowering the threshold for Senate passage from 60 votes to a simple majority of 51 seats, reconciliation enables a party controlling both chambers of Congress to implement significant changes, as long as they are tied to budgetary and fiscal policy.
At the same time, lawmakers are grappling with the reinstatement of the debt ceiling this month, following its temporary suspension in a bipartisan deal during the Trump administration. Additionally, March 14 marks the deadline to prevent a partial government shutdown, with Congress having extended this deadline twice since the previous fiscal year ended on October 1.
“I think obviously everyone is ready to get to work,” Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., told Fox News Digital. “With President Trump’s inauguration behind us, now we’re focused on the task at hand – everything from the border to the tax package, energy and defense and national security, and our debt. What we need to do over the next two years to really fulfill the agenda that we laid out for the American people.” He added that reconciliation will no doubt be a big focus of Trump’s when he addresses the GOP conference.
With extremely narrow margins in the House and Senate, Republicans can only afford a few dissenters if they hope to reach the finish line. Lawler is among several Republicans who have set clear conditions in the ongoing discussions, insisting they will not support a reconciliation bill unless it includes the removal of caps on state and local tax (SALT) deductions. These caps have placed a significant burden on suburban districts outside major cities, which have been particularly impacted by the limits on these deductions.
Lawler explained to Fox News that he had realistic expectations for their brief trip to Florida but remained hopeful that Republicans would ultimately unite. “I think we’re in the middle of the process and, you know, this is obviously not going to be resolved over these three days,” Lawler said. “But this is, I think, an important opportunity for everyone to really sit down and spend their time going through a lot of these issues.”
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