STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Come January, Republicans will control the full power of the federal government, or as near as anyone gets. They've got the White House. They've got both chambers of Congress, and leaders are already planning legislation to fulfill campaign promises from border security to energy production. And then there's the push to extend the 2017 Trump tax cuts, which expire soon. NPR congressional correspondent Deirdre Walsh reports that House and Senate Republicans are debating what to do first.
DEIRDRE WALSH, BYLINE: John Thune, the incoming Senate majority leader, plans quick action on Trump's priorities.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
JOHN THUNE: In my view, it makes sense for us to move quickly on things we know we can do quickly - border, defense, energy.
WALSH: Republicans plan to use special rules to get around a Democratic filibuster. Thune told Senate Republicans the first order of business will be a bill that boosts money for more agents at the southwest border and incentivizes more domestic energy production. He says a second tax package will have to wait until later in 2025. Jason Smith, who chairs the House tax-writing committee, told Fox Business News that waiting on taxes is a mistake.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
JASON SMITH: The last thing that Congress should even consider is kicking the can down the road.
WALSH: Tax breaks enacted in Trump's first term expire at the end of 2025 unless Congress acts. And Smith says Trump campaigned on other proposals like banning taxes on tips and overtime pay.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
SMITH: We know what President Trump wants and what 76 million Americans voted for.
WALSH: So far, Trump hasn't weighed in on any specific strategy. South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham, who will head the budget panel starting in January, warns about a possible attack on the U.S. and argues defense issues should go before a broader tax measure.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
LINDSEY GRAHAM: So what we're going to do in the Senate is start with a transformational border security bill to deal with this national security nightmare.
WALSH: He says Congress needs to approve money for more ICE agents to deport undocumented immigrants, money for more bed space for those detained, money to finish the border wall and resources to address energy and defense priorities. Republicans feel pressured to deliver. Louisiana Republican Senator John Kennedy points out during Trump's last trifecta, internal GOP opposition derailed their attempted repeal of Obamacare.
JOHN KENNEDY: We saw that back in 2017 with health care.
WALSH: And he says the party can pass two packages that cover all the major policy items, but there's no time for drawn out negotiations.
KENNEDY: The fact of the matter is we've got about a year to show the American people that we're serious.
WALSH: Trump and Hill GOP leaders talk about having a mandate, but house Speaker Mike Johnson has a razor-thin majority, which means he can't afford many, if any, defections. And he's keeping his options open.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
MIKE JOHNSON: We're going to come up with a play call that we have consensus on and that will work for the American people.
WALSH: The 2017 tax bill took time. GOP lawmakers are pushing for specific provisions, like the Republicans who campaigned on bringing back a tax deduction, dubbed SALT, referring to a state and local tax break for people living in high-cost states. New York Republican Congressman Nick LaLota is one of those. He notes Trump backed them and says there's a group willing to use their leverage.
NICK LALOTA: There are about eight very salty House Republicans, and we only have a two-seat majority. So the math dictates that so long as we're reasonable, we should get a decent increase for our constituents.
WALSH: Top Republican leaders have both an ambitious policy agenda and an ambitious timeline, and they want to pass the first major package in the first hundred days. They expect once Trump weighs in, Republicans will get in line.
Deirdre Walsh, NPR News, the Capitol. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
