As we predicted a few days ago, the US House of Representatives passed a budget resolution this morning after Speaker Johnson convinced enough right-wing Republican members of the Freedom Caucus to put aside their misgivings and vote for it.
However, the vote does not make any hard decisions about either cuts to Medicaid and SNAP or about tax cuts for the rich. Instead, it kicks the can down the road to a later date when Republicans in Congress will have to reach a budget plan that can pass both the House and Senate. Given the division between more moderate and more extreme members, it is not clear they will reach such an agreement.
The budget resolution sets up legislative committees in the House and Senate to devise specific proposals to meet the goals of the budget resolution. Their work will then be combined into a budget reconciliation bill.
But, because the budget resolution has very different goals for the House and Senate committees, it puts off all the hard decisions that need to be made. The House committees are instructed to make deep cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, and more, totaling $1.5 trillion over nine years. The Senate committees are instructed to cut at least $4 billion over that time.
That is why House Freedom Caucus members initially voted against the budget resolution. They only changed their minds when Senate Republican Majority Leader John Thune said, “We have a lot of United States senators who believe [1.5 trillion in cuts] as a minimum. And we certainly will do everything we can to be as aggressive as possible to see that we are serious about the matter.”
Despite Thune’s promise, there are many Republican senators unwilling to accept cuts to Medicaid and SNAP because it would be devastating for their constituents. (So far, Pennsylvania senator Dave McCormick is not one of them.)
And that provides those of us who oppose the Republican plan with the opportunity to block it or at least reduce the damage it would do.
One final note: Representatives Rob Bresnahan (PA-8) and Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-1) keep saying they oppose deep cuts to Medicaid and SNAP that will harm their constituents. Yet they are not withholding their votes from the bill to ensure that those goals are met.
We may disagree with the Freedom Caucus, but they are showing us what real commitment to your ideals and promises looks like. It would be nice for Reps. Bresnahan and Fitzpatrick to do the same—or simply admit that they really have no interest in protecting Medicaid or SNAP.