Trump set to meet with skeptical conservatives on budget blueprint, China tariff war escalates
by The Hill staff
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is racing to get House Republicans behind a Senate-passed framework for enacting large swaths of President Trump’s domestic agenda, even as conservative opposition to the measure grows.
Trump is set to meet with a group of House Republicans Tuesday afternoon, but conservatives say they are skeptical his pressure campaign will win over holdouts.
In the Senate, lawmakers are set to hold a final confirmation vote on Elbridge Colby, Trump’s controversial pick to serve as the Defense Department under secretary for policy.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration is vehemently defending the president’s sweeping tariffs announced last week, even as business allies — and even some GOP lawmakers — become increasingly unsettled and markets tumble.
The White House is set to hold a press briefing at 1 p.m. and Trump is expected to sign an executive order on energy this afternoon.
Follow along with live updates below.
1 of 1
11 minutes ago
Grassley: Congress ‘delegated too much authority to the president’ on trade
Aris Folley
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who recently signed onto bipartisan legislation to limit President Trump’s trade authority, said on Tuesday that he thinks Congress has “delegated too much authority to the president.”
“I made very clear throughout my public service that I’m a free and fair trader. The Constitution gives Congress the authority to regulate interstate and foreign commerce. I believe that Congress delegated too much authority to the president in the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 and Trade Act of 1974,” he said.
“That said, I support President Trump’s agenda to lower tariffs and non-tariff barriers other countries impose on American goods. I support President Trump’s agenda to get a better deal from China and other countries for our farmers and manufacturers.”
16 minutes ago
Conservatives dismiss Trump pressure on budget blueprint ahead of White House meeting
Mychael Schnell
Emily Brooks
Hardline House conservatives say that personal appeals from President Trump will not be enough to sway them to support a Senate budget resolution to advance the White House’s legislative agenda.
A group of House Republicans critical of the Senate’s framework for advancing Trump’s legislative agenda are set to meet with the president at the White House at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, marking the president’s most significant foray yet into the push to adopt the framework in the lower chamber.
But in an eye-catching twist, a number of the most outspoken opponents of the budget resolution are not going to the meeting with the president, signaling that they have little interest in being strong-armed by the White House on a measure they abhor.
Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.) — the chair of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, which is full of budget resolution opponents — said he was invited to the meeting with Trump, but declined.
Read the full story here.
16 minutes ago
Crockett hits Trump over golfing expenses at DOGE subcommittee hearing
Julia Manchester
Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) slammed President Trump over his golf outings he’s taken during his second administration during a DOGE House Subcommittee hearing on Tuesday.
“What we need to light on fire is Trump’s tariffs,” Crockett said. “But if we are going to talk about efficiency and worry about some solar paneled whatever’s, let’s talk about that as of March 31, Trump’s golfing has cost us $30 million.”
“The Republicans’ recklessness and chaotic approach has shown us what we already know: concepts of a plan don’t work,” she said.
33 minutes ago
Greer says trade deficit won’t be ‘solved overnight’
Aris Folley
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on Tuesday said the trade deficit won’t be “solved overnight” when asked about the potential timeline for trade negotiations with other countries.
“Do you have any timeline on certain countries or places that you have set internally to say we hope to have negotiations complete by this point?” Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) asked Greer during a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee.
“Obviously negotiations could extend as long as they have to, but is there a timeline you’re dealing with?” Lakford said.
Greer responded that the “president has indicated that he is willing to negotiate, work with parties that want to pursue reciprocal trade with the United States.”
But he added, that “we don’t have any particular timeline set on that.”
“What I can say is, I’m moving as quickly as possible, and a lot of these countries are moving very quickly, and we’re working on the weekends. We’re working at night, as folks want to engage on this.”
an hour ago
Top Democrat announces Senate measure to curb Trump on tariffs
Aris Folley
Sen. Ron Wyden (Ore.), the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, announced on Tuesday that he’s introducing a resolution to thwart President Trump’s latest tariffs actions.
Wyden said during a hearing on Tuesday morning that he’s proposing a new bipartisan privileged resolution to “end the latest crop of global tariffs that are clobbering American families and small businesses.”
“Members on both sides of the aisle ought to know that this is a call to action, and Congress must step in to reign this president on trade,” he said.
an hour ago
Harris says he declined WH invite for meeting on budget bill
Emily Brooks
House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris (R-Md.) says he was invited to the White House for a meeting this afternoon on the budget resolution, but declined to attend.
“There’s nothing that I can hear at the White House that I don’t understand about the situation,” he said.
Harris is opposed to the bill.
He says Trump calling and meeting with members won’t get this across the finish line.
“It’s not going to help getting enough votes to pass this this week. It’s just there too many members who are just not going to vote for it, no matter what.”
2 hours ago
Conservatives say they weren't invited to Trump meeting
Mychael Schnell
Emily Brooks
Reps. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.) and Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) said they were not invited to Tuesday’s meeting with a group of House Republicans and President Trump.
The meeting is taking place as Trump looks to help Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) push a massive budget blueprint across the finish line in the face of conservative opposition.
Norman has been a fierce and vocal critic of the resolution.
2 hours ago
Burlison doesn't think Trump pressure will move lawmakers on budget resolution
Mychael Schnell
Emily Brooks
Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Mo.), who’s against the Senate’s budget resolution, is skeptical that pressure from President Trump will move votes on the measure — as it did earlier this year for the stopgap funding bill and House-written budget resolution.
“I think that because what the Senate sent over is so financially immoral, that it doesn’t matter how much pressure. There’s many of us that can’t swallow it,” he said.
Several members of the hardline conservative House Freedom Caucus say they will not attend the meeting with Trump on Tuesday, including Burlison and Rep. Keith Self (R-Texas).
2 hours ago
House Republicans set to meet with Trump
Emily Brooks
Mychael Schnell
A group of House Republicans is set to meet Tuesday with President Trump as he works to help Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) push a budget blueprint across the finish in the face of conservative opposition.
Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Greg Steube (R-Fla.) both say they’ll attend. Steube is undecided on the budget resolution, which would serve as the framework for Trump’s domestic agenda.
2 hours ago
Republicans rattled by tariff troubles begin to push back on Trump
Al Weaver
Emily Brooks
Cracks are growing between congressional Republicans and President Trump over his tariff policy, with some lawmakers looking to strip him of his unilateral tariff authority and others seeking briefings from the White House on the strategy amid growing economic tumult.
Seven Republican senators signed on to a bill led by Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the Senate’s president pro tempore, and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) that would require the president to give Congress 48 hours notice of new tariffs, make them subject to congressional approval after 60 days, and allow Congress to rescind tariffs.
The legislative effort, which has emerged as a proxy fight for those against the tariffs, became a quick flashpoint on Monday the number of co-sponsors grew and the White House threatened to veto the bill.
The attempt by the White House to nip the push in the bud only hours before lawmakers returned to the Capitol has not stemmed the concern among GOP lawmakers who worried the economy could continue to tumble after Wall Street saw a third straight day in the red to open the week.
“It’s very hard to overturn a veto. … It doesn’t mean the battle isn’t worth having,” said Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who has not signed onto the bill, but has emerged as a leading voice against Trump’s widespread tariffs. “Win or lose, it’s worth the debate.”
Read the full story here.
2 hours ago
Growing opposition from House conservatives threatens to derail Trump’s agenda
Mychael Schnell
Emily Brooks
Growing opposition among hard-line House conservatives to the Senate’s framework for advancing President Trump’s ambitious legislative agenda is threatening to make this week’s vote one of the heaviest lifts yet for Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).
At least 10 House Republicans have said they will vote “no” on the measure, and a handful of others have publicly criticized the resolution, creating an uphill battle for Johnson as he looks to muscle it through his razor-thin majority.
Johnson is eyeing a Wednesday vote on the Senate-approved budget resolution, which would unlock the reconciliation process that Republicans are looking to use to pass tax cuts, border funding and energy policy. The Speaker is actively urging his ranks to fall in line, and the White House has begun making calls to House Republicans, a source told The Hill.
But a mounting swell of resistance among fiscal hawks who want commitments on large spending cuts upfront is putting that plan in jeopardy.
Read the full story here.
2 hours ago
China vows to ‘fight to the end’ after Trump ramps up tariff threat
srai
The Chinese government on Monday vowed to “fight to the end” after President Trump ramped up his tariff threat against the nation, warning he could impose an additional 50 percent tax on goods coming from the world’s second-largest economy.
China’s Ministry of Commerce characterized Trump’s reciprocal tariffs as “completely groundless and is a typical unilateral bullying practice” and signaled that apart from the additional taxes Beijing issued last week, more could be rolled out in the near future.
2 hours ago
Navarro: ‘I guarantee no recession, OK?’
srai
White House senior trade adviser Peter Navarro attempted to assure the American public the country will not plunge into a recession sparked by President Trump’s recent sweeping tariffs, suggesting Wall Street’s 500 biggest corporations will lead the economic turnout.
Navarro said the market is “finding a bottom now, but it … look, here’s the thing … it’s going to shift over, and it’s going to be companies in the S&P 500 who are the first to produce here. Those are the ones are going to lead the recovery.”
2 hours ago
Bessent expects a couple big deals ‘very quickly’ on tariffs
srai
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Tuesday that he expects a couple big deals “very quickly” in relation to President Trump’s latest tariff announcement.
“We have one of the Vietnamese officials coming in this week, the Japanese are very eager to get over and I think you’re going to see a couple of big trading partners make deals very quickly,” Bessent told reporters Tuesday, as reported by The Hill’s sister station NewsNation.
Welcome to Billionaire Club Co LLC, your gateway to a brand-new social media experience! Sign up today and dive into over 10,000 fresh daily articles and videos curated just for your enjoyment. Enjoy the ad free experience, unlimited content interactions, and get that coveted blue check verification—all for just $1 a month!
Account Frozen
Your account is frozen. You can still view content but cannot interact with it.
Please go to your settings to update your account status.
Open Profile Settings