A group of House Republicans raised alarms Wednesday about the minimum $1.5 trillion in spending cuts required by the chamber’s budget resolution, as House leadership tries to shore up support for a floor vote on the measure when the chamber returns next week.
Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, co-chair of his party’s Congressional Hispanic Conference, led a letter to Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., highlighting the damage cuts to programs including Medicaid, Pell Grants and food stamps would have on their constituents and others around the country.
“Hispanic Americans played a decisive role in securing a Republican majority in 2025, having helped flip key districts, delivered historic gains in border communities, and put their faith in our party to fight for them,” the GOP lawmakers wrote. “That trust wasn’t given — it was earned.”
The letter was signed by seven other Republicans — including five eligible to vote on the House floor — and including some likely to face tough races in 2026.
Gonzales and other signatories, including Reps. Nicole Malliotakis of New York, Monica De La Cruz of Texas, David Valadao of California, Juan Ciscomani of Arizona and Rob Bresnahan Jr. of Pennsylvania, said they backed increasing spending on border security, as well as extending the expiring 2017 tax cuts. But concerns about the minimum $1.5 trillion in spending cuts are a key sticking point with those members and other centrists from swing districts.
At the chamber’s current numbers, assuming all are present and voting, House leadership can only afford to lose one vote and muster the support needed to adopt the budget. Without that step, Republicans can’t move forward with a filibuster-proof reconciliation bill that would enact much of President Donald Trump’s agenda. Leadership has already made concessions to bring conservative hard-liners on board, but now faces possible opposition from centrists in competitive districts.
Nonvoting members who signed Gonzales’ letter include Del. James C. Moylan, R-Guam, and Del. Kimberlyn King-Hinds, R-N. Marianas.
Gonzales and other signatories on Wednesday’s letter, who are members of the Hispanic Conference or represent districts with large Latino populations, highlighted the demographic’s reliance on programs likely to be targeted by spending cuts.
They took issue with the $880 billion in cuts required from the Energy and Commerce Committee with jurisdiction over Medicaid; the $330 billion required from the Education and Workforce Committee with jurisdiction over Pell Grants and other education assistance; and the $230 billion required from the Agriculture Committee with jurisdiction over the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, previously known as food stamps.
If the conservative Freedom Caucus gets its way, those numbers will get larger: An amendment to get them on board with the resolution, adopted by the Budget Committee, requires a minimum $2 trillion in cuts in order to preserve $4.5 trillion in room for tax cuts. If they fall short of the $2 trillion amount, then the tax-cut package would need to be scaled back by the same amount, and tax writers are already complaining that $4.5 trillion is not enough to enact all their priorities.
House leadership is under pressure to bring the budget resolution to the floor quickly when the chamber returns from recess next week. The Senate is poised later this week to adopt its own skinnier budget resolution that seeks to boost spending on border security and defense and leave extending expiring tax cuts until later in the year.
Trump earlier Wednesday doubled down on his endorsement of the House’s strategy to pass one “big, beautiful” bill that would boost funding on those programs, extend tax cuts and cut spending elsewhere. But the House will need near-perfect party unity to adopt the resolution and move forward with those plans.
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