U.S. Representative Morgan Griffith (R-VA-09) on Wednesday was skeptical the House of Representatives would successfully pass “one big, beautiful bill” containing several policies championed by President-elect Donald Trump, as Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA-04) has suggested lawmakers will pass before April.
Griffith made the remarks during an appearance on “The John Fredericks Show,” telling host John Fredericks, who publishes The Virginia Star, that Congress would run out of time to build consensus, and that House Republicans would settle for passing two bills to accomplish Trump’s agenda.
“I personally believe it is going to end up being two bills,” said Griffith. While the representative said he does not oppose “one big, beautiful bill,” the issue will be timing.
He told Fredericks, “We’re going to have a lot of synergy, we’re going to have a lot of energy, we’re going to have a lot of momentum going into the first couple months of the Trump administration. To get everything worked out for one big, beautiful bill slows that process down a lot, and we probably can’t get to it on the timeline that is currently scheduled.”
Instead of pinning the administration’s fate on one piece of legislation, Griffith suggested Congress pass bills quickly to score wins for the president, despite the risk of some priorities being sidelined.
“I really believe that what we ought to do is bank some wins. Bank some wins on the border, get some things done quickly that we can get done, and then try to get the harder stuff done a little bit later. There are people who legitimately point out, maybe you never get that done. That’s a risk,” Griffith acknowledged.
The John Fredericks Show [Live Radio & TV Show] January 14, 2025 https://t.co/dniBBO4yrt
— John Fredericks (@jfradioshow) January 15, 2025
The Virginia Republican told Fredericks, “I think that the Trump administration, and we’ll see, maybe Johnson and his team can put together a package fast enough that we can do one big, beautiful bill, but I’d like to see us get some real wins under our belt in the first 100 days, instead of having to wait until, you know, late July, August, September before we get anything actually done.”
Ultimately, Griffith predicted House Republicans would pass legislation that would achieve some cuts to the federal government and accomplish Trump’s goals for the southern border before eventually passing a second bill containing tax cuts and more cuts to the government.
“That’s going to take a little bit longer, it’s going to take a lot of negotiations, and I think those items and some additional cuts, some larger cuts, will probably come in the second bill,” said Griffith. He reiterated, “Look, if we can get it done, I’m fine with it, and the timeline that people have laid out, I’m fine with it. But I’m not sure we’re going to be able to get it all done on that timeline, and I do think we need to be on the fast track to get as much done as we can.”
Griffith was the first Virginia congressman to endorse Trump in December 2023, shortly after the president-elect declared his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
