Republicans jump-start budget talks with eye on April breakthrough

Republicans will be searching for a breakthrough when they travel to the White House on Tuesday to negotiate President Donald Trump‘s sweeping second-term agenda.

Congress has just three weeks to meet House Speaker Mike Johnson‘s (R-LA) self-imposed deadline to approve a framework that joins tax reform with Trump’s priorities on the border, defense, and energy. Yet, the House and Senate remain at odds on the contours of a deal that would allow them to begin drafting the legislation.