Republicans Rally Behind Trump's Plan for One Major Bill

House Republicans recently gathered for a secret meeting on Saturday. Former President Donald Trump had a big idea he wanted to share, according to insiders. He wanted to combine border security, energy policies, and taxes into one giant bill. This plan was a bit risky but super important for pushing his agenda. In the Senate, some leaders like John Thune had been thinking differently. They wanted two bills, one for the border and energy stuff, and the other for taxes later. But things changed in the last few weeks, especially with the spending bill drama and the close speaker's race. Many House Republicans, including Jason Smith who leads the Ways and Means Committee, have been pushing for one big bill for months. They think two bills would be too hard to manage in the House, where they barely have a majority. Smith said last month that this big bill would be the fastest way to help Trump. This huge bill will take a lot of time to negotiate. It will involve many committees and will likely take longer than a smaller border and energy bill. Thune had a 100-day plan that didn't include taxes, but many House Republicans worried that delaying taxes would lose momentum for Trump's other plans. With Trump's inauguration just around the corner, Republicans wanted a clear plan. Many believed that one big bill would help carry over the momentum from Trump's election win. This idea also helped Mike Johnson get reelected as Speaker, giving Trump an early victory. It also avoided a long fight, which Trump didn't want. Some House Republicans, like Rich McCormick from Georgia, backed Johnson because of this big bill plan. Keith Self from Texas, who switched his vote last minute, also supported this idea. They both wanted to move forward with one "big, beautiful" bill after the speaker's race. Insiders said that Trump's message was clear. He wanted his whole agenda to go through, and he needed a strong team to make that happen.