President Donald Trump traveled to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to encourage Republican lawmakers to resolve their differences over a sweeping tax-cut bill that encompasses much of his domestic agenda.
Several factions in the Republican majority have expressed dissatisfaction over the bill and could yet block its passage in the House of Representatives. Trump acknowledged those concerns but predicted it would ultimately become law.
"It's not a question of holdouts. We have a tremendously unified party," Trump told reporters as he arrived at the Capitol. He said Republican lawmakers who vote against it could "possibly" face a primary challenge in next year's congressional elections.
The bill would extend the 2017 tax cuts that were Trump's signature first-term legislative achievement, and also add tax breaks on income from tips and overtime pay that were part of his populist push on the campaign trail. Nonpartisan analysts say it could add $3 trillion to $5 trillion to the federal government's $36.2 trillion in debt.
Trump will try to unify the divided 220-213 House majority, including hardliners eager for deep spending cuts, moderates worried about protecting Medicaid and Republican lawmakers from coastal states eager to protect their constituents' ability to deduct state and local taxes.
"The president is going to encourage everyone this morning to get in line and get the votes done," House Speaker Mike Johnson said ahead of Trump's arrival.
Republicans are looking to parliamentary maneuvers to bypass the objections of Democrats, who say the bill disproportionately benefits the wealthy and will take a deep bite out of social programs.
"I think he'll urge people to get together and I think it'll be an upbeat speech ... I'm glad he's coming," said hardline Republican Representative Ralph Norman of South Carolina, one of the handful who blocked the bill in a committee vote on Friday before relenting on Sunday.
Johnson aims to pass the measure by Thursday, before the Memorial Day holiday weekend, setting the stage for the Senate to take it up next month.
Representative Steve Scalise, the chamber's No. 2 Republican, said leadership was counting on Trump to bring around recalcitrant members.
"He's always the closer," Scalise said.
Hanging over Republicans is a move by credit-rating firm Moody's, which last week stripped the U.S. federal government of its top-tier credit rating. It cited multiple administrations and Congress failing to address the nation's growing debt.
The Republican-controlled Congress so far has not rejected any of Trump's legislative requests.
If the House passes the bill, the Senate will have to labor to pass a partisan bill that could differ significantly from the House's.
"It's not going to happen overnight. But it should happen in a timely way," Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota told reporters on Monday.
Republicans control the Senate by a 53-47 margin and at least one conservative, Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri, has already stated reservations with the House's Medicaid provisions.
