This afternoon, Speaker Johnson appeared as the first guest on The Scott Jennings Show on Salem Radio Network. During the episode, they discussed the passing of the One Big Beautiful Bill and how Republicans plan to address criticisms from Democrats regarding this legislation.
Regarding the bill’s passage, Speaker Johnson recounted discussions with colleagues in early 2024: “I told my colleagues back in February or March of 2024, I said, ‘guys, this is what’s going to happen this fall. We’re going to have unified government. We got to plan accordingly. We’re going to do reconciliation, but let’s do it in a bigger way than has ever been done before.’” He explained that instead of using two committees to draft the bill, they expanded it to eleven committees for a comprehensive approach.
Speaker Johnson also addressed accusations about Medicaid cuts: “What’s unpopular is the false narrative that has been said and written about the bill… Here’s the thing, we didn’t cut Medicaid. There are no cuts to Medicaid in the bill.” He emphasized efforts to strengthen Medicaid by eliminating fraud and abuse while reintroducing work requirements.
Looking ahead, Speaker Johnson outlined plans following the signing of One Big Beautiful Bill into law: “We got this landmark achievement done with a big beautiful bill, but we cannot rest on our laurels because the job is still ahead.” Future plans include appropriations bills at lower spending levels and additional reconciliation bills tied to upcoming fiscal years.
Speaker Johnson highlighted efforts to codify Trump-era executive orders within this new legislation: “We codified, by the way, 28 executive orders in the One Big Beautiful Bill. That’s now law.”
