The Attorneys General of 21 states wrote to President Donald Trump Tuesday “to express our gratitude for your support” of the latest budget resolution, writing “failure cannot be an option.”
The letter led by Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey (R) calls the Senate-amended budget resolution “a preliminary step to unlocking a reconciliation bill that delivers on all of the promises every Republican made to the American people.”
Signing a budget resolution into law is the first step towards advancing the bulk Trump’s legislative agenda on border and immigration, energy, and — perhaps most importantly — spending cuts and taxes. The process allows Republicans to proceed to budget reconciliation, through which they can circumvent the 60-vote requirement for advancing most legislation in the Senate.
The attorneys general praise Trump for the “immense amount of work you and your administration have undertaken to reverse the tremendous hardship endured by our citizens due to President Biden’s failed policies. You promised to reinstitute fiscal sanity, fight against the weaponization of the justice system, secure our borders, and achieve energy dominance… As we have all seen, promises made, promises kept.”
The House passed a budget resolution in March. Early Saturday morning, the Senate passed an amended version which with language instructing to committees to find spending cuts below those in the House bill. Senators insist this is a necessity to work around Senate parliamentary requirements, and that Senators can pursue spending cuts beyond levels in the resolution’s instructions.
House spending hawks, including a mixture of House Freedom Caucus members and more establishment-friendly members, have balked at the bill due to the Senate’s history of unrestrained spending.
But Trump, and his top House whip Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), are pushing for unity around the Senate-passed budget resolution.
The attorneys general, like Trump, believe the resolution is a necessary measure to continue delivering Trump’s priorities.
“We, like you, understand that more must be done to fully implement the agenda for which millions [of] Americans voted,” they write to Trump. “In particular, Congress needs to deliver you a reconciliation bill that reinforces your executive actions and codifies in permanent law policies to secure the border, unleash American energy, restore military supremacy, fight wasteful spending, prevent a debilitating tax hike on working class Americans, and prevent a debt default.”
The AGs write that they support the resolution because “failure cannot be an option.”
They continue, “The Democrats’ open border policies created a deadly flood of illegal immigrants in all of our states. Inflation and punishing energy regulations have siphoned money from the pocketbooks of families. Without an extension of your Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, taxpayers will suffer a multi-trillion-dollar tax hike.”
Trump and House leaders are pushing for a quick vote on the Senate-passed budget resolution so committees can begin working in earnest on finding specific spending cuts and other provisions to be included in a budget reconciliation bill.
Joining the letter are Attorneys General: Steve Marshall (R-AL), Tim Griffin (R-AR), James Uthmeier (R-FL), Chris Carr (R-GA), Todd Rokita (R-IN), Brenna Bird (R-IA), Kris Kobach (R-KS), Russell Coleman (R-KY), Liz Murrill (R-LA), Lynn Fitch (R-MS), Austin Knudsen (R-MT), Mike Hilgers (R-NE), Drew Wrigley (R-ND), David Yost (R-OH), Rentner Drummond (R-OK), Alan Wilson (R-SC), Marty Jackley (R-SD), Ken Paxton (R-TX), Derek Brown (R-UT), and John McCuskey (R-WV).
Bradley Jaye is Deputy Political Editor for Breitbart News. Follow him on X/Twitter and Instagram @BradleyAJaye.
