As President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office in just over a week, the returning commander in chief has scheduled a busy weekend of meetings with House Republicans to discuss policy priorities for the incoming administration.
Trump first met with members of the conservative Freedom Caucus on Friday, and the president-elect is set to meet with other lawmakers across the ideological spectrum at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. The meetings come as Republican leaders in the House and Senate have debated the best strategy to secure quick wins after Trump is sworn in.
GOP leaders have disagreed over what is the most efficient path forward on budget reconciliation, a rare procedural tool that would allow Republicans to circumvent Democratic opposition in the Senate to advance key agenda items. Republicans in the House have pushed for a one-bill strategy to combine all legislative priorities into one massive package while those in the Senate have suggested it would be better to split priorities into two bills.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) met with Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) earlier this week to discuss strategy, and the top House Republican told reporters on Thursday a game plan would be finalized soon.
“This is two chambers deciding the best sequence of events, and we’ll get to a perfect alignment here in the next … couple of days,” Johnson said.
Meanwhile, lawmakers will make their case directly to Trump over the weekend on several topics. Here’s what to know about the upcoming meetings.
House Freedom Caucus
Members of the oft-rebellious House Freedom Caucus were among the first to meet with Trump on Friday to discuss the president-elect’s ambitious agenda for his first 100 days in office.
The meeting comes as the conservative group hopes to have increased influence in the 119th Congress, especially with Trump back in the White House and Republicans in control of the Senate. But first, they must get on the same page regarding procedure and strategy.
While Trump has endorsed the one-bill strategy for his reconciliation package, members of the Freedom Caucus have pushed for a two-bill track chock-full of spending cuts and deficit-reducing measures.
But many Freedom Caucus members told the Washington Examiner they’d work in tandem with the president-elect on the path forward he thinks is best, whether it’s one or two packages.
“I don’t think you have to force either solution,” Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) told reporters on Tuesday. “The process will sort itself out. I don’t think you have to force two bills or one bill. I think the dialogue itself will navigate which. You know, we’re trying to get to Point B from Point A. And if there’s an obstacle in the path, how do you get around it?”
While he would endorse two reconciliation packages, Ogles noted his biggest concern, which is shared with several other members of the caucus, is getting “our fiscal house in order.” So long as that outcome is reached, Ogles said, the path will make itself clear.
“So I’m not saying no to anything,” Ogles said. “At the end of the day, you define what your objectives are going to be and how quickly you want to get there. But then organically, that process is going to sort itself out.”
House Committee leadership
Trump will meet with several Republicans in committee leadership positions to discuss the president-elect’s priorities for the next Congress.
Among those Trump will be meeting with is Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R-MO), two sources familiar with the matter told the Washington Examiner. Smith is expected to discuss budget reconciliation strategy with Trump, a source familiar with the talks but granted anonymity to discuss private conversations told the Washington Examiner.
Smith has pushed for one massive reconciliation package, arguing lawmakers should prioritize extending Trump’s 2017 tax cuts before they expire at the end of 2025. If they save tax policy for a second reconciliation package, Smith warned, Trump’s tax law could lapse before lawmakers can extend it.
Trump is also expected to meet with House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) over the weekend. The two are set to discuss the incoming administration’s initiatives, especially under the newly created Department of Government Efficiency, a source familiar with talks told the Washington Examiner.
Many of Trump’s DOGE initiatives are likely to fall under the Oversight Committee, and the panel is expected to create a DOGE subcommittee led by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) to head those efforts. Comer will also discuss other DOGE priorities, such as addressing any waste, fraud, or abuse in the federal government.
SALT Caucus
Another group meeting with Trump this weekend includes GOP members of the SALT Caucus, a bipartisan group dedicated to restoring the state and local tax deduction to cut costs for middle-class families.
Lawmakers are expected to discuss a $10,000 cap on state and local taxes, or SALT, that was implemented by Trump in 2017. That tax bill is set to expire later this year, and some Republicans want to loosen that cap in the forthcoming reconciliation bill — or else they won’t support it.
“I’ve been very clear from the start: I will not support a tax bill that does not lift the cap on SALT,” Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), who will attend the Saturday meeting at Mar-a-Lago, told reporters on Tuesday.
A handful of other Republicans echoed those sentiments, with Rep. Nick LaLota (R-NY) telling the Washington Examiner he and several other members of the SALT Caucus have vowed the same.
“We plan on sticking together throughout this whole issue,” said LaLota, who will also attend the meeting.
It’s not clear what a SALT provision in the reconciliation bill would look like, but some Republicans in the House and Senate have been wary about eliminating the cap, arguing it would worsen the national debt and act only as a giveaway for coastal wealthy elites.
But as Republicans begin hammering out the details this weekend, some Democrats from high-tax states are demanding to be part of the conversation.
Fellow New York Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY) urged Trump to include Democrats in the negotiations at Mar-a-Lago, expressing skepticism the president-elect will work in good faith.
“I’ll go to Mar-A-Lago myself if that’s what it takes,” Ryan said in a statement. “My fear, to be quite honest, is that Trump is going to put on this charade and then roll over House Republicans, just like he did in 2017. Let’s get everyone to the table now — it’s time to remove the SALT cap once and for all.”
And … a Democrat?
Although most meetings will include Republicans this weekend, there is one guest expected at Mar-a-Lago this weekend that has raised some eyebrows.
Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) announced he was invited to meet with Trump at his Palm Beach resort, and that meeting is set to take place this weekend, a source familiar with Trump’s schedule confirmed to the Washington Examiner.
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“I’m the Senator for all Pennsylvanians — not just Democrats in Pennsylvania,” Fetterman said in a statement. “I’ve been clear that no one is my gatekeeper. I will meet with and have a conversation with anyone if it helps me deliver for Pennsylvania and the nation.”
It’s not entirely clear what the pair will discuss, but a source close to Trump told the Washington Examiner they are likely to talk about the president-elect’s legislative priorities, including the budget reconciliation package. The two may also discuss Trump’s Cabinet nominees, who will begin undergoing confirmation hearings in the upper chamber next week.
