Johnson tells Republicans Trump wants one big policy bill as party charts course on agenda

CNN — House Speaker Mike Johnson informed Republicans at a closed-door meeting Saturday that Donald Trump favored moving his agenda as one sweeping package, according to sources in attendance — a key announcement fraught with risk but one that sets the stage for advancing the president-elect’s ambitious plans. A source familiar with this change told CNN it had become clear with the spending bill debacle and a narrow speaker’s race that there will be very little room to maneuver two separate bills — one on the border and energy and one regarding tax policies. While senators argued the strategy of two separate bills would help deliver an early win for Trump — as a tax overhaul plus border and energy package would take longer — many on the House side worried about squandering momentum for the rest of Trump’s agenda. As Republicans attempt to lay out a clear strategy for Trump’s agenda with his inauguration just weeks away, the promise of one single bill helped Johnson get reelected as speaker Friday, giving an early win to Trump — who had backed the Louisiana Republican and made calls on his behalf. GOP Rep. Rich McCormick of Georgia told CNN on Friday that Johnson and the Trump team’s promise to push one single bill helped get him to vote in favor of the speaker.