Speaker Johnson Says Budget Bill Act Won’t Trigger More Federal Spending

‘We’re extending the debt ceiling to show to creditors, the bond markets, the stock market, that the Congress is serious about this,’ the House speaker said.

House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks to reporters ahead of President Donald Trump's visit, on Capitol Hill in Washington on May 20, 2025. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said that the budget bill endorsed by President Donald Trump that passed in the House last week would not lead to more government spending.

In an interview with “Fox News” on May 25, Johnson was asked about a statement made by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) that cuts made in the bill “are wimpy and anemic” and may also “explode the debt.” Paul also said he would not support the measure unless it removes the $4 trillion debt limit increase.

Johnson disagreed with that statement, saying that getting the bill passed is a “critically important thing to do” and that the measure is actually “the biggest spending cut, I think, in the history of government on planet Earth.”

“It does not mean that we’re going to spend more money,” he also said. “We’re extending the debt ceiling to show to creditors, the bond markets, the stock market, that the Congress is serious about this.”

Johnson said he agrees with Paul’s point about the national debt.

“The national debt is ... the greatest threat to our national security, and deficits are a serious problem,” the House speaker said. “What I think Rand is missing on this one is the fact that we are quite serious about this. This is the biggest spending cut ... in more than 30 years. We’re going to cut over $1.5 trillion in spending, and it’s a big leap forward.”

His comments come just days after House Republicans passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which is central to the GOP agenda on taxes. The House launched debate before midnight, and by dawn, the vote was 215–214, sending it to the Senate. Democrats all voted to oppose the bill, and two Republicans—Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Warren Davidson (R-Ohio)—joined them. Two others, Reps. David Schweikert (R-Ariz.) and Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.), abstained, while Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.) voted “present.”

The House bill includes a $4 trillion hike in the U.S. debt limit, coming as U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has warned that the government is due to run out of money to pay its bills in August without any congressional decisions.

Central to the package is the GOP’s commitment to extend some $4.5 trillion in tax breaks implemented during Trump’s first term in 2017, while temporarily adding new ones that he campaigned on during his 2024 campaign, including no taxes on tips, overtime pay, car loan interest, and others.

Trump has urged action, visiting House Republicans at a conference meeting last week and hosting GOP leaders and the holdouts for a lengthy session on May 21 at the White House. Before the vote, the administration warned in a pointed statement that failure to pass it “would be the ultimate betrayal.”

After the legislation’s passage, Trump posted on social media: “Thank you to every Republican who voted YES on this Historic Bill! Now, it’s time for our friends in the United States Senate to get to work.”

Johnson noted on May 25 that some of the cuts may not be as deep as some had wanted.

“Now, is it enough? Of course, not,” he told Fox News. “But we have a very delicate balance, and we have to start the process. I liken this to an aircraft carrier. You don’t turn an aircraft carrier on a dime. It takes a mile of open ocean. And so, it took us decades to get into this situation. This is a big step to begin to turn that aircraft carrier.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.