Johnson adviser not expecting 'too many surprises' from Senate on GOP budget bill

House Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) adviser said during a recent interview he is not expecting “too many surprises” from Republican senators as they consider the massive GOP tax and budget bill that passed the House last week. 

Hogan Gidley, a former Trump administration official now consulting for Johnson, said on NewsNation’s “The Hill” that spending cuts in Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” were a huge point of contention when the legislation as it moved through the House. He added, “this is the most significant set of cuts in spending in 30 plus years. So you're putting it in the right direction.” 

“This isn't the end-all be-all. There's still a lot more to do after this bill passes. But still, the Senate is going to have their fight on their side. But as I mentioned, because this has been done so closely tied with the Senate, the House and the White House, there really shouldn't be too many surprises coming out of the Senate — a few things here and there, but nothing major,” Gidley told host Blake Burman Tuesday evening.

Senate Republicans are divided over the megabill and some within the conference have already vowed to rewrite it. Potential cuts to Medicaid benefits, pullback of renewable energy incentives and measures to reduce the deficit have been among the sticking points between moderates and conservatives. 

GOP Sen. Susan Collins (Maine) is concerned about the legislation’s effect on rural hospitals, while Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) is worried about potential benefit reduction to tribes in her home state. On the opposite end, fiscal hawks are objecting to the spending cuts, arguing the bill balloons the deficit. 

“I think the cuts currently in the bill are wimpy and anemic, but I still would support the bill even with wimpy and anemic cuts if they weren’t going to explode the debt,” Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said Sunday while on “Fox News Sunday.”

Gidley said one lawmaker he is paying attention as the legislation starts moving through the upper chamber is Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.), who he called “very popular, very strong, full-throated as well. We'll see what he has to say about it when it comes.” 

“Somebody’s got to be the dad who says, ‘I know you all want to go to Disney World, but we can’t afford it,'" Johnson said this week. "I guess I’m going to be that guy."