Maryland Rep. Andy Harris, an early holdout on a budget plan critical to President Donald Trump’s agenda, says he came around after the White House promised to back deep new spending cuts, including targeting Medicaid waste.
The support of Harris and fellow members of the House Freedom Caucus — the fiscally conservative group he chairs — was critical to passage, by a 216-214 vote, of the framework for what Trump calls “a big, beautiful bill” of tax cuts, mass deportations and other policy items.
“After hearing concerns from our members, the White House committed to historic spending reductions including, targeting the ‘Green New Scam’ IRA tax credits as well as waste, fraud, and abuse in the expanding Medicaid program,” Harris said in a written statement.
The Republican was referring to green energy tax credits — including for wind and solar projects — signed into law by Democratic former President Joe Biden, and to the health insurance program for low-income people.
Such cuts would be politically sensitive.
Democrats have rallied behind Medicaid, saying there is not enough waste in the program to satisfy Republicans’ spending cut ambitions. More than 70 million people are enrolled in Medicaid.
Clean energy tax credits have also generated support from Republicans as well as Democrats.
Last month, 21 House Republicans, led by New York Rep. Andrew Garbarino, wrote to Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, saying the credits aid domestic energy production and advocating for an “all-of-the-above energy approach.”
Harris’ roles as a deficit hawk and Trump loyalist can sometimes conflict.
Harris, whose district includes Harford County, the Eastern Shore and some of Baltimore County, has often withheld support — at least initially — for Trump-backed budget plans to try to prod his party to offset spending boosts with cuts.
“This spending addiction has to stop now,” he posted on X during the recent budget debate.
While he is usually a staunch defender of Trump, Harris has leeway to oppose the president and other leading Republicans on budget issues because his district is considered “safe.” It is the only U.S. House district in Maryland with more registered Republicans than Democrats, and he is the state’s only GOP congressional delegation member.
“He has space to break with Trump,” said Roger Hartley, dean of the University of Baltimore’s College of Public Affairs..
Harris’ Republican-oriented district also allows him to target Medicaid — a politically perilous undertaking for representatives in more competitive areas.
“If he were in a competitive district, that would be a huge thing,” Hartley said. “Medicaid is a major part of the nation’s safety net. An opponent could say: ‘Don’t you value protecting health care for the poor?’ ”
Harris said he initially opposed the most recent budget plan because the Senate version committed to $4 billion in spending cuts over 10 years, while an earlier House resolution had committed to at least $1.5 trillion in spending cuts over that period.
The legislation provides a blueprint for such Trump priorities as extending his 2017 tax cuts, border security, defense spending, and energy policy. Now it’s up to Congress to fill in the specific budget amounts.
Harris said in a statement that House Speaker Mike Johnson “committed to ensuring the final bill will provide enough spending reduction so that tax cuts will be fully offset. As important, the Senate leadership has committed to follow the House’s lead on spending cuts.”
Harris declined requests for interviews through a spokesperson.
Approving $1.5 trillion in cuts will be challenging in the Senate, which hadn’t previously come close to committing to that number.
But given the new White House commitments, “anything that falls short will face serious problems in the House,” Harris said.
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