Vance Says Aim Is to Pass Trump Agenda Bill in May or June

CPAC senior fellow Mercedes Schlapp and Vice President JD Vance speak during CPAC in Oxon Hill, Md., on Feb. 20, 2025. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

WASHINGTON—Vice President J.D. Vance said on Feb. 20 that the Republicans’ goal is to pass a major bill fitting with President Donald Trump’s agenda by May or June.

This comes as the Senate is scheduled to vote on amendments to a budget resolution that would unlock the process to pass a bill through reconciliation. Meanwhile, a competing budget resolution by the House is scheduled to be voted on next week.

The Senate Budget Committee advanced the upper congressional chamber’s budget resolution on Feb. 13, while the House Budget Committee advanced its own on Feb. 14.

Reconciliation allows for bills related to taxation, spending, and the national debt to pass without having to overcome the 60-vote filibuster threshold in the Senate that applies to most legislation.

Both houses of Congress must pass an identical budget resolution to start putting through such legislation.

The Senate budget resolution would lead to a bill dealing with only border security and increasing military spending, while the House version includes cutting the deficit by $1.5 trillion over a decade, implementing $4.5 trillion in tax cuts, and raising the debt ceiling by $4 trillion.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said he prefers a two-bill approach in which tax cuts would be dealt with in a second measure.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said he wants one bill encompassing Trump’s agenda on the border, taxes, and energy.

In a social media post on Feb. 19, Trump came out in support of the one-bill approach.

“The House and Senate are doing a SPECTACULAR job of working together as one unified, and unbeatable, TEAM, however, unlike the Lindsey Graham version of the very important Legislation currently being discussed, the House Resolution implements my FULL America First Agenda, EVERYTHING, not just parts of it!” he wrote in a post on Truth Social.

Graham is the chairman of the Senate Budget Committee.

“We need both Chambers to pass the House Budget to “kickstart” the Reconciliation process, and move all of our priorities to the concept of, ‘ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL.’ It will, without question, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” Trump wrote.

At the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, Vance said it was logistically best to pass one bill.

“It’s very rare that you can get two reconciliation bills in one Congress, which is why he thinks we’ve got to do a lot with that one big, beautiful bill, that first reconciliation package that we’re gonna get through the House and the Senate,” he said.

“This stuff takes time to put together. I think you know, if you had a record-pace reconciliation bill, we would get this thing done in May or in June. I think we’re on track to do that, but we’ve got to do some basic things.”