During an appearance on Fox News' Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo, Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican who chairs the Senate Budget Committee, warned Republicans pushing for tax cuts that securing the nation's borders must come first or else they are "playing Russian roulette with our national security."
Newsweek reached out to Trump's transition team and Graham's office via email for comment Sunday afternoon.
Why It Matters
Tax cuts for individuals and immigration are two major priorities for Republicans that President-elect Donald Trump campaigned on in the 2024 election cycle. A big campaign promise that Trump hopes to achieve is the mass deportation of immigrants living in the U.S. illegally.
There are differing opinions within the Republican Party about how to move forward with the incoming Trump administration's agenda and with thin GOP majorities in the House and Senate, any disagreements could cause delays in the president-elect's plans.
What To Know
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, informed Republicans during a closed-door retreat on Saturday at Fort McNair that Trump wants to consolidate their legislative agenda into "one big beautiful bill" rather than pursuing the two-bill strategy previously planned by Republican leadership, Politico reported Saturday.
Newly elected Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, had originally proposed a two-phase approach: an initial reconciliation bill focusing on border security, defense, and energy within the first 30 days of the new Trump administration, followed by a separate bill later in the year addressing the extension of 2017 tax cuts set to expire in 2025.
House Ways and Means Committee Chair Jason Smith, a Missouri Republican, has emerged as a key advocate for the single-package approach, demonstrated by his decision to remain at Mar-a-Lago after New Year's Eve celebrations for reconciliation strategy meetings, according to two Republicans who spoke with Politico.
What Does Graham Think?
When asked by Fox News' Maria Bartiromo on Sunday morning about the catch-all bill plan, Graham said, "I'm very worried that if we don't put border first and get it done, it's going to be a nightmare for our national security. We've got millions of illegal immigrants that President Trump has promised to deport, and he should."
He added: "That cost 100 billion dollars. I'm willing to offset the 100 billion with cuts in other places, but there's no way in hell Democrats are going to give us 100 billion dollars for mass deportation."
Graham warned that "every day we delay is a dangerous day for America," citing the fentanyl crisis and threats of terrorism.
"I want the tax cuts. They're 4.7 trillion dollars. They will ruin the economy if they expire at the end of the year. I will try to be a team player here. But I want to tell the American people, from my point of view, the number one job is to secure the nation for the federal government," the senator added.
Graham then addressed his colleagues: "To the tax cut wing of the party, I am with you, but if you hold border security hostage to get tax cuts, you're playing Russian roulette with our national security."
What People Are Saying
House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Sunday Morning Futures when he was asked whether Trump prefers two bills or one big bill to implement his agenda, "He and I have talked about this quite a bit as you might imagine over the past few months, determining the pros and cons over the two different strategies. I respect Lindsey Graham and all my friends who kind of preferred a two-step strategy...but I think at the end of the day, President Trump is going to prefer as he likes to say, 'one big beautiful bill.'"
He added: "And there's a lot of merit to that because we can put all together, one big up or down vote, which can save the country, quite literally because there are so many elements to it and it will give us a little bit more time to negotiate that and get it right," he added.
Representative Jason Smith told Bartiromo on Fox Business' Mornings with Maria on December 11, "We need a reconciliation bill that has border, energy, permitting and tax. You put all four of those things together, we can deliver on that. In fact, in the House, we have been working for months, Maria, in preparation for this large omnibus bill. We need to deliver this win as early as possible to President Trump."
What Happens Next
The House GOP must now try to adapt its legislative strategy to accommodate Trump's consolidated approach while maintaining party unity. Johnson faces the task of pushing this single-package through with a slim Republican majority.
Immediate priorities include certifying Trump's election victory on Monday ahead of his January 20 inauguration while working to align House and Senate GOP lawmakers on the president-elect's agenda.
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