SCOOP: Why twenty-two GOP governors back Trump on the budget: "we need to extend the Trump tax cuts and immigration enforcement"

THE LOWDOWN

• President Donald Trump and Republican leadership in Washington are getting reinforcements from twenty-two Republican governors.

• North Dakota Republican Governor Kelly Armstrong told the Washington Reporter that he signed onto the letter “because we need to extend the Trump tax cuts and immigration enforcement.”

• Oklahoma Republican Governor Kevin Stitt told the Reporter that “Congress has a tough job, but it is time to have serious conversations about our spending and our debt.”

• Top congressional Republicans told the Reporter that they’re on board with the governors and White House on the need to pass the Senate’s amendment to the House-passed budget resolution as it was sent back.

President Donald Trump and Republican leadership in Washington are getting reinforcements from twenty-two Republican governors, who wrote to Trump expressing their “gratitude” for Trump’s “support of the Senate’s amendment to the House Budget Resolution.”

The signees, who include governors ranging from veterans like Gov. Kevin Stitt (R., Okla.) to newcomers like Gov. Kelly Armstrong (R., N.D.), noted that the bill “is a preliminary step to unlocking a reconciliation bill that delivers on all of the promises every Republican made to the American people.”

Armstrong told the Washington Reporter that he signed onto the letter “because we need to extend the Trump tax cuts and immigration enforcement. This process can’t finish until it starts. This is essentially a procedural vote that unlocks a path to move forward. The final product is what matters to North Dakotans.”

Armstrong, a former top House Republican, added that he will be at the Republican Study Committee (RSC) tomorrow as well.

Stitt added to the Reporter that “Congress has a tough job, but it is time to have serious conversations about our spending and our debt. Ultimately, we need to get back to a true budget process. This is a good first step, and it delivers on the agenda President Trump promised to the American people.”

The governors, for their part, are in alignment with Trump, who posted on Truth Social that “THE HOUSE MUST PASS THIS BUDGET RESOLUTION, AND QUICKLY — MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

Top congressional Republicans told the Reporter that they’re on board with the governors and White House on the need to pass the Senate’s amendment to the House-passed budget resolution as it was sent back.

“Last November, the American people overwhelmingly voted for a secure border, low taxes, a more efficient government, American energy dominance, and reducing the deficit,” Rep. Tom Cole (R., Okla.), the Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee told the Reporter. “In order to deliver on these campaign promises, we must pass the budget resolution this week. Let’s get the job done for the American people!”

Rep. Mike Simpson (R., Idaho), one of the most senior members of the Appropriations Committee, added to the Reporter that “voting to pass the budget resolution is how we get to the next stage in the reconciliation process and keep President Trump's agenda moving forward.”