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WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is set to engage with a select group of vulnerable House Republicans as the party grapples with internal disagreements on effectively rolling out the tax cuts and other key promises made to voters.
Despite holding power in both the White House and Congress, Republicans face challenges due to slim majorities in legislative chambers and varying opinions on the direction to take with numerous pressing issues.
This meeting follows a series of discrete “listening sessions” led by House Speaker Mike Johnson, who will need to demonstrate strong leadership to unify party members as they move forward. Trump has been hosting his own gatherings with Republican officials at Mar-a-Lago and is also expected to speak at an upcoming private retreat in Doral, Florida, where his resort is located.
“We’re working very closely in close coordination with the White House because this reflects an America First agenda that necessitates collaboration between both branches of government,” Johnson stated at a press briefing on Wednesday morning.
Johnson further remarked, referring to the upcoming meeting, that Trump is effectively “kick-starting what will ultimately be our legislative agenda.”
Among those participating in the meeting are Mike Lawler from New York, Brian Fitzpatrick from Pennsylvania, and Don Bacon from Nebraska. All three represent congressional districts that were won by Democrat Kamala Harris in the previous presidential election.
A previous session with Trump and prominent Republican leaders at the White House was characterized by one anonymous source as feeling more like a “first date” than a committed partnership, indicating ongoing uncertainties and the need for relationship-building.
The party members have been deliberating the most effective approach to advance their goals on issues such as tax cuts, immigration reform, and significant reductions in the federal workforce, in line with several promises made by Trump.
Trump has expressed a preference for an all-encompassing legislative package, a sentiment echoed by many House Republican leaders. However, skepticism exists among Senate Republicans who caution that such a plan could become overly complex and fail to gain traction.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune has been promoting a phased strategy, advocating for an initial package that would allocate essential funding for border wall development, deportation initiatives, and resources for the Pentagon, while delaying discussions on tax and spending cuts for a future legislative package.
This division within the Republican Party extends beyond strategy to fundamental issues, even amidst a shared consensus on the need to lower taxes and slim down government functions. For instance, some members are advocating for the reintroduction of the SALT deduction, which permits taxpayers to deduct state and local taxes from their federal tax obligations—an issue particularly pertinent to lawmakers like Lawler, representing high-tax New York.
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abcnews.go.com