Representative Eric Burrison, a two-term MP from the Ozarks in Missouri, is clear about his support for President Trump.
“I love the president,” he said as he walked through the Capitol.
But Burrison is also one of around 12 hard-core conservative Republicans who have said they can't back the party's budget blueprint to unlock Trump's spending and tax cuts, despite pleading for the president to support it in a poll that could come Wednesday.
“When I got home I couldn't live with myself and added debt and deficits without making any kind of correction,” said Burrison, a financial analyst who campaigned to defeat the debt. “I couldn't live with myself.”
The former state legislator successfully pushed the Missouri Legislature to seek amendments to the US Constitution in order to demand a balanced budget.
The unusual burst of resistance that emerged on Capitol Hill came from lawmakers who normally count themselves among Trump's closest allies. GOP lawmakers have long shown exceptional respect for Trump, falling in a serious vote for him after he was found to be on the receiving end of personal calls and furious social media posts at the beginning of his second term.
They may still be generous. A small number of holdouts opposed the resolution after Trump met with a group of House Republicans on Tuesday. However, their claim that they do not support measures without a deeper promise of spending cuts underscored the challenges that GOP leaders have managed groups in their ranks.
The problem for Republicans like Burrison is that the need for Senate committees to find around $4 billion over a decade with a level of reduction in resolutions being cut, is part of the $2 trillion cuts approved by the House. House Republicans fear that if they agree to the Senate budget resolution, the Senate will ultimately force them to accept spending cuts that are far lower than they hoped.
Republican leaders say the numbers are at the lowest and aim to give them the flexibility to follow the Senate's strict procedural rules.
Hardline House conservatives are also not impressed by the Senate's claim that expanding the tax cuts Trump signed into law in 2017 would simply be costly to maintain current policies. Senate Republicans have adopted that approach, allowing tax cuts to be extended indefinitely without inflated the deficit.
Reviews of gimmicks from the Expense Hawks are poignant.
“The American people want results, not financial tricks.
“It's unsafe and unfortunate,” declared Texas Representative Jodie Arlington, chairman of the Budget Committee.
“That's exactly what we're trying to avoid, and we're doing business as usual,” said Arizona president David Schweicart, who holds a “debt dashboard” on its official website.
To drive the process, the House and Senate must adopt the same resolution. That's why Trump threw his weight behind the blueprint. He met two hours at the White House on Tuesday with about 12 House Republicans at the White House, closing the meeting with House social media pleading.
“Close your eyes and get there. That's an incredible bill,” Trump told lawmakers at dinner in Washington on Tuesday. “Stop grand standing.”
House Republicans may still be coming as the votes are looming. When he was short on votes, including his own reelection to the House top post, Mike Johnson was able to rely on Trump.
However, some people showed an astonishing degree of resistance on Tuesday, citing core principles.
Maryland President Andy Harris, chairman of the Freedom Caucus, said:
Harris said he declined an invitation to discuss his concerns to meet with Trump at the White House on Tuesday.
“There's nothing I can hear in the White House that I don't understand about the situation,” he said. “Let the President spend time with people he may change his mind. He has no intention of changing my mind.”
Their opposition was reminiscent of a scene in December when Trump begged Republicans to pass a government fundraising bill that raised debt restrictions. Dozens refused.
During these negotiations, Trump picked out Texas representative Chip Roy. Texas sought his expulsion because he had forced claims against the law both public and private.
That broadside reminded me of the dangers of crossing Trump for many Republicans. He personally acknowledges their nightmare scenario as a major challenger in the district.
Now, Roy is once again among the fiscal conservative class that is at odds with Trump. He attended the White House meeting on Tuesday, but said he was still opposed to the budget resolution.
“Mathematics is not mathematics yet,” Roy said.
