INTRODUCTION : During his first 100 days in office President Donald Trump issued executive orders and reduced the size of the federal government but Congress Republicans were also taking action.
Speaker Mike Johnson was reelected by the House, temporarily putting aside resentment from the previous Congress. Despite some conference members’ misgivings and one tie-breaking vote by Vice President JD Vance the Senate approved Trump’s nominations. Additionally both houses created a framework for the president’s policy package, which will increase spending on defense border security and domestic energy production while also extending tax cuts.
GOP lawmakers struggled with slim margins of control in both chambers in each instance Republican vacancies early in the year reduced the House’s already slim majority to as little as a one-vote margin in certain instances leaving virtually no margin for error (With two Democratic seats up for grabs, Republicans currently hold a three-vote lead in the House.
Johnson Senate Majority Leader John Thune and other Republican leaders of the House and Senate along with their leadership staff guided their conferences through these difficult votes However a number of other Republicans wielded significant influence either influencing or almost obstructing policies.
During Trump’s first 100 days in office these five Republican members of Congress left a lasting impression on Capitol Hill.
Jason Smith: The Tax Architect
Jason Smith, a Republican from Missouri who heads the influential House Ways and Means Committee and has pushed for the one “big beautiful bill” approach to Trump’s program that Congress is pursuing is one of the few members of Congress who has had the greatest influence on the direction of Trump’s plan.
With his flagship package Trump aims to extend the tax cuts he put in place during his first term and remove the taxes on gratuities overtime and Social Security payments.
Additionally the president has backed a few prominent Republicans from high-tax states like California and New York in their attempt to repeal or at least increase the SALT cap on state and local tax deductions.
It will be difficult and costly to implement those adjustments. Over the course of the next ten years the tax cuts are expected to cost between $5 trillion and $11 trillion according to nonpartisan economists.
This policy battle will be hatched in Smith’s committee. According to the U.S. Constitution, tax bills must begin in the House, which gives the chairman of the tax committee significant influence over the discussion.
At the age of 25, Smith, an attorney became the youngest member of the Missouri House of Representatives when he first entered politics Given the incredibly narrow Republican margins in the House he contended at the beginning of Trump’s second term that the single-bill approach would have the best chance of guaranteeing that all of the president’s initiatives are passed.
Republicans in the Senate opposed Smith and House leadership arguing that in order to quickly score victories Congress should adopt two different bills: one for taxes and another for other policies.
Earlier this year Smith told The Washington Reporter “That’s why we need one big beautiful bill It is our opportunity to deliver ossible of President Trump’s agenda enacted into law as soon as possible.to ensure we get as much p.
Trump vacillated between the two tactics for weeks Smith and other members of the House successfully lobbied Trump on their plan The foundation for the current situation was laid in February when Trump supported the one-bill approach.
Andy Harris: The Leader of the Rebels
The Tea Party of the 2000s which aimed to encourage other Republicans to support fiscal restraint and limited government, gave rise to the House Freedom Caucus ten years ago It gained a reputation as a hardline group that was prepared to destroy the GOP leadership’s best-laid plans over time.
READ MORE : Trump as pope Picture on Official White House Media .
