POLI•RANT: House Rs About To Vote On A Budget That Will Lose Them The Majority
They have no choice. Even if they avoid it tonight they will pass a suicidal budget.
UPDATE: They couldn’t get their budget out of committee last week, but as predicted below it will happen. They actually scheduled a 1 AM hearing to give it a second try. Understand that sometimes that passed in middle of the night attack is a little disingenuous. Negotiations can drag on big Reconciliation Bills. But to actually schedule it then (it was morning!) is proof positive of just how bad this bill is going to be.
The breaking news tonight is that the non-partisan CBO has scored $500 million in Medicare cuts — by FAR the largest ever. And of course there’s the tax cuts for the ultra rich, and the $5 trillion hole blown in the budget.
But, just wait until all the terrible details leak out. It’s going to be terrible for the majority of Americans, but even worse for House Republicans.
Here’s my still valid take from a few days ago:
Since I started this thing, I’ve said that Trump and Republicans in Congress we’re going to face a world of pain when they got to their budget.
Well, here we are.
The BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL failed in the Republican-led House Budget Committee — killed primarily by conservatives who don’t want to blow up the deficit by $5 trillion. Some of them would rather go further in what will be deeply unpopular cuts to everything — but especially safety net programs that disproportionately hurts core MAGA folks in real ways.
House Republicans have been an abject failure since they took over in 2022. These infighting dim wits couldn’t name a Post Office if they tried.
On the other side of the “entitlement” cutting deficit hawks you have 10-20 Rs from Biden AND Harris winning districts who can see a bigger tsunami than 2018 coming when things like Meals on Wheels are taken away from family members.
And yet, none of these “moderate” Rs can do a damn thing. If they buck the system they will be primaried by Trump and Musk, and they will lose. That’s what happens when you let a cult germinate and you play dumb.
They will pass a Reconciliation Bill — in part because it will be filled with so much individual earmarks, perks, district giveaways, and outrageous shit as to be a suicide pact.
The only question is just how historically bad is the bill? It will be terrible, it will hurt people, and it will hurt them. Not to the degree of what they do to real people — but it will seal the deal for 2026.
If that election is a real thing.