Republicans hope for message of unity during Trump's visit to Congress

By David Morgan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republicans hope two visits by former President Donald Trump on Thursday will bring unity to their sometimes bitterly divided caucuses in the Senate and House of Representatives as the party heads toward the Nov. 5 election .

Trump is scheduled to meet with House Republicans Thursday morning and have lunch with Senate Republicans, aiming to coordinate campaign strategies to achieve a “trifecta” of Republican control of the White House and both chambers of Congress.

Trump and current Democratic President Joe Biden each enjoyed unified government during their first two years in office, but saw their parties lose control of the House in the midterm elections, hampering their ability to pass laws.

“The meeting will focus on how Republicans can work together to advance policies to save America, including protecting Social Security and Medicare, securing the southern border and cutting taxes for hard-working families,” a senior Trump campaign official said.

The Republican presidential candidate is also scheduled to speak Thursday before the Business Roundtable, a Washington-based association bringing together more than 200 business leaders.

“Our ability to get a majority in the Senate is intrinsically linked to President Trump’s victory. So we’re like one team, one vision, and I think that’s a lot of what we’ll be talking about,” the president said. Republican Senator Thom Tillis to reporters. .

Republicans hope to see Trump defeat Biden, extend their current slim 218-213 majority in the House and take control of a Senate that Democrats currently lead 51-49.

OLD GRIEVANCES

But the visit also highlighted long-standing tensions between Trump and members of Congress, including Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, who has not spoken to the former president since conceding victory Biden’s election in December 2020. Trump’s false claims that his defeat was the result of fraud inspired the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol.

Despite their differences, the Kentucky Republican emphasized his support for Trump’s candidacy. “I support him. He won the nomination from voters across the country. And of course I’ll be at the meeting,” McConnell told reporters Wednesday.

Others, including moderates like Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowksi and Mitt Romney, will not attend, citing scheduling conflicts.

House Speaker Mike Johnson met with Senate Republicans on Wednesday to discuss how a united Republican government could use a parliamentary vehicle called budget reconciliation to circumvent Democratic objections in the Senate.

“We have some big policy changes that we would like to implement,” Johnson later told reporters. “So we want to make the most of it and be coordinated between the two chambers.”

A top priority for House and Senate Republicans will be making permanent tax cuts under the Trump Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, which otherwise expires this year next.

Lawmakers also expect to discuss their spending plans for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1 and how to handle the looming Jan. 1 deadline to raise or suspend the country’s debt ceiling. The brinkmanship around debt ceiling deadlines has spooked financial markets in the past.

Republican centrists in the House of Representatives also hope that Trump will persuade radical conservatives who ousted former Speaker Kevin McCarthy in October, sought to oust Johnson last month and blocked their own party’s legislation over the year, to align with the rest of the conference.

“The president has an opportunity to reaffirm to our conference members how important it is to stand united,” said U.S. Rep. Anthony D’Esposito. “Our success will depend on our solidarity as Republicans.”

(Reporting by David Morgan; editing by Scott Malone and Lincoln Feast.)