The victory, another by-the-skin-of-their-teeth win, was especially significant for House leaders, who not only managed to corral their toughest critics on the budget blueprint but demonstrated to President Trump—and the country—that they can unify when the country depends on it. It was a far cry from where the party stood the previous night, when frenzied meetings across both sides of the Capitol failed to deliver the breakthrough Johnson was hoping for.

But as a man accustomed to impossible situations, the speaker didn't panic. While the vote carried the weight of the president's ambitious agenda, Johnson understood that what his members were demanding—deeper spending cuts than the Senate had agreed to—wasn't unreasonable. He postponed the vote until Thursday morning, expressing confidence that Republicans would all be singing off the same sheet of music by then. And to his detractors' surprise, he was right.

Overnight, Johnson, Thune, and the House Freedom Caucus continued talking—a discussion that culminated in a Thursday morning press conference with the speaker and Senate majority leader. Together, the two leaders pledged to bridge the divide between the two chambers and find the $1.5 trillion in cuts Johnson's chamber demanded. It was that joint appearance, members said later, that helped push the bill over the top. Finally, hardline conservatives had a public commitment from Senate leadership they believed they could trust.

Shortly afterward, the GOP hung together for another remarkable vote, losing just two Republicans—Rep. Victoria Spartz (IN) and perennial naysayer Thomas Massie (KY)—in a 216-214 nailbiter. The margin was so close that if Democrats hadn't lost two members to untimely deaths this year, the resolution would've failed.

"It was a good day in the House," a jubilant Johnson told reporters later. "I told you not to doubt us. The media always does. The Democrats always do. But we get the job done, and we're really grateful to have had the big victory on the floor just now." By taking this "big step," passing the framework for budget reconciliation, Republicans can "move forward" with everything Americans voted for, the speaker asserted.

Asked what ultimately turned the tide for conservatives, Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD), chair of the House Freedom Caucus, pointed out that this was "the first time publicly [that] the Senate leader has come out and actually said that we're in the same ballpark with the House and Senate reductions. Obviously, we were happy with the House spending reduction because we all voted for it, so I think that's a step in a positive direction."

Texas Rep. Chip Roy (R), one of the most outspoken fiscal hawks, explained that it was the speaker's personal guarantee that he wouldn't put a reconciliation package on the floor that would increase the deficit. "We had a very concrete [promise] from the speaker on that..." As for the Senate's buy-in, "We got very explicit commitments," Roy said.

Under Harris' leadership, the entire Freedom Caucus seems to have transitioned from agitators to "team players," NBC observed. Part of that is almost certainly due to Trump, but the rest is a credit to this speaker, who genuinely listens to his members and is determined to do right by them. It also doesn't hurt that after a year and a half on the job, he's learned what makes his caucus tick.

That was very evident when Chad Pergram asked Johnson what changed between Wednesday night and Thursday morning. "What closed the deal?" he wanted to know. The speaker replied, "Sometimes there are pressure release valves. You have to allow people to do that. You know, everybody's human around here," he acknowledged. "There [are] lots of different interests. We have 220 people in the Republican conference, and they have a lot of different ideas. They represent a lot of different districts. And sometimes when the pressure gets turned up, people need to release that. So that's what I do. I allow them to do that. We take thoughtful discussion and deliberation."

It was equally significant to observers that when the time came to vote Thursday morning, the president didn't have to call a single member and pressure them to get in line. Johnson had managed to convince the caucus himself—more proof that the young speaker has not only come into his own but that Republicans have a growing confidence in him.

In a sign of just how much things have shifted from the beginning of Johnson's roller-coaster speakership, the Freedom Caucus went so far as to publicly thank the Louisianan for his leadership in working out these differences. "After hearing concerns from our Members, the White House committed to historic spending reductions," they declared in a press release following the vote. "In addition, the Speaker committed to ensuring the final bill will provide enough spending reduction so that tax cuts will be fully offset. As important, the Senate leadership has committed to follow the House's lead on spending cuts. Thank you," they continued, "to President Trump, Speaker Johnson, and Leader Thune for your leadership in making this commitment to ensuring a fiscally responsible reconciliation bill. This is a win for the American people and sets the stage to deliver massive tax relief, unleash domestic energy production, fully fund border security and our military, while also securing unprecedented spending reduction." (Screengrab image)

It's the fourth improbable win that Johnson's pulled off with his miniscule majority in 2025—a streak that's spanned his reelection as speaker and the continuing resolution to these come-from-behind triumphs on the House budget blueprint and the Senate's. And while the next couple of months of putting meat on these plans' bones won't be easy, impossible tasks seem to be Johnson's specialty.

From here, he outlined, "We will now get the committees operating on all cylinders. They'll be working over the two-week district work period that encompasses Passover and Easter. They'll take a couple of days off for those holy celebrations and then keep their sleeves rolled up and get right back to work. The committees in the Senate and the House will be working in a collaborative fashion. ... [T]his really is a one-team approach by Republicans in both chambers."

To get the final package of tax relief, spending cuts, and defense and border spending to the president's desk by Memorial Day, there isn't time to waste, Republicans in both chambers stress. "Time is of the essence for this reconciliation bill," Senate Budget Chair Lindsey Graham underscored. "... The military and Department of Homeland Security are underfunded, and they needed the money from the reconciliation bill yesterday."

The speaker repeated Graham's words almost verbatim before adding, "We know what's going on around the world. We know that the debt limit cliff is approaching pretty quickly here," he warned. "We know that markets have been a little unstable. They want to know that Congress is on the job, and I'm here to tell you that we are." No matter what, Johnson continued, "We're going to do our job, and we're going to provide stability, and we're going to send this message to all of our allies and friends around the world and to our adversaries that America is back, and the America First agenda will be enacted," the speaker declared.

Underestimate him at your peril. Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here

Suzanne Bowdey serves as editorial director and senior writer at The Washington Stand.

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