Trump’s push for quick passage of ‘one powerful bill’ meets realities on Capitol Hill

Washington CNN — President-elect Donald Trump wants to put his entire agenda into a single, massive bill – and he wants it done “quickly.” But he will soon meet the realities of Capitol Hill, even under single-party Republican rule. “So if you’re a tax-cutting person, which I understand, and you’re holding a border bill hostage, I think that’s a dangerous thing.” Thune downplayed the disagreements on Monday, saying the process is a “lot more important than the results.” But the new Senate GOP leader also suggested that his preference remains legislation that they can enact quickly – and then taking up the more complicated tax overhaul on a later day. And the politics will be even more complicated, Burchett warned, “if our egos take over.” Another GOP lawmaker, Rep. Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey, is so anxious about the party’s ability to pass legislation this year that he has personally urged Trump to do “as much as he can” by executive order or agency action. On Sunday, Trump posted on Truth Social that lawmakers were beginning work on “one powerful bill.” But speaking to radio host Hugh Hewitt on Monday morning, Trump said he was open to doing two bills. The Missouri Republican said the first package “is going to have tax, energy, border, permitting and spending cuts” and “that’s been decided.” Hours later, when pressed by reporters about Trump’s openness to two bills, Smith said: “When he said his preference is one bill, he just wants it passed.” Asked whether he was concerned by Trump’s walk-back, Smith lashed out at the reporter for asking the question: “Absolutely not, this is sh*t.” CNN’s Ted Barrett, Ali Main, Haley Talbot and Morgan Rimmer contributed to this report.