DORAL, Florida — Republicans have only had their GOP trifecta in Washington for one week. But the party is already touting big wins and plotting the remainder of President Donald Trump’s term, as the leaders lay the groundwork for a massive spending package and how to pass his legislative priorities.
House Republicans descended on the Trump National Doral resort near Miami on Monday for their annual issues retreat, a three-day excursion filled with meetings and information sessions as party leaders continue to hammer out the best strategy to quickly pass Trump’s agenda.
The fastest way for Republicans to do this is through budget reconciliation, a rare procedural tool the party can use to circumvent Democratic opposition in the Senate to advance certain tax, spending, and debt limit legislation. Republicans have already pinpointed a number of policies they want included, but party leaders have been stalled due to disagreements on how to most effectively move the package through Congress.
Utah Rep. Blake Moore, the vice chair of the House GOP Conference, told the Deseret News that lawmakers are nearing an agreement on the reconciliation package, but that details may not be finalized until next week due to some absences at the retreat. About 165 Republicans are expected to attend the retreat this week, a source familiar with planning told the Deseret News, which is roughly 75% of the conference.
“Unless everybody’s here to literally meet in a room and say, ‘I’m good with this,’ I don’t know if we have that final number that we’re able to move on a resolution yet,” Moore said in an interview. “But we’re going to get substantive chances to talk and ask questions” this week.
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., huddled with reporters in a makeshift media center inside Trump’s luxury golf resort on Monday afternoon, outlining the plan for lawmakers as they race to finalize details of the reconciliation package.
The challenge: Craft a complex budget package that includes tax and spending cuts, energy reform and immigration policies all while reducing the national deficit — and that can pass the House without losing a single Republican vote.
“That will be where the lion’s share of (Trump’s) campaign promises made are fulfilled,” Johnson said. “We will get all the Republicans together on the consensus that we will put forward that bill that will check those boxes and make sure we can be right with the American people.”

Johnson said Republicans plan to release budget reconciliation instructions as soon as next week, which sets the topline number for tax and spending levels that are then directed to specific committees to craft the legislation. After that, the committees will come together to craft a massive package that will then be voted on by the House and Senate, which party leaders hope to complete by the beginning of April.
Republicans talk shop at Trump’s resort while president makes rounds on golf course
Republicans will meet in back-to-back meetings throughout the three-day conference, with many of the sessions focused on budget reconciliation and other information sessions looking at Trump’s legislative agenda for items that cannot be passed through the budget tool.
And in the meantime, several lawmakers plan to sneak quick trips to the renowned golf course, where Trump was seen golfing earlier in the day on Monday.
Trump outlines what he wants to see in GOP bill
Trump addressed Republicans during their Monday dinner, touting the policy changes he has already implemented through executive orders during his first week and urging lawmakers to continue building on the promises in his America First agenda.
Vice President J.D. Vance is also scheduled to speak with lawmakers during lunch on Tuesday, according to the member schedule viewed by the Deseret News.
But in between work and play, House GOP leaders are feeling a bit of a squeeze in their short getaway trip. Republicans must overcome intraparty debate on whether they should advance a single reconciliation bill or split priorities into two, with the former strategy favored by House Republicans while Senate leaders have pushed for the latter.
Moore pushed back on that assessment, noting much of the holdup lies with the absence of a topline number and agreement on sufficient spending cuts.
“It’s just getting to that sweet spot of what are we doing to do on tax versus spending reform, and how do we offset it with the needs for some immigration dollars as well as energy dollars,” Moore said. “So it has nothing to do with one bill [versus] two bills.”
If House Republicans don’t finalize a plan during the retreat, they may be forced to bend to the will of the Senate — putting leaders in the lower chamber on the clock.
Trump has expressed support for “one big beautiful bill,” but has privately acknowledged to party leaders in private meetings that he is not as concerned with the process so long as his policies are fulfilled.
“It’s very clear Trump has a vision, and he cares more about the outcome than he does the process,” one source familiar with the talks said. “I think he understands the challenges that the Senate has and how the Senate operates, and I think he understands the House and how the House operates. And instead of keeping them in isolation, we’re dealing with us in silos.”
Trump reiterated those priorities during his remarks at dinner on Monday, telling lawmakers “I don’t care” whether it’s one bill or two.
But the president began outlining the priorities he wants to see included, including “a record increase in border security personnel” through retention bonuses for ICE and Border Patrol agents as well as increased investment for deportation flights.
Trump also said he wants to include policies that would eliminate taxes on tips, overtime pay, and Social Security payments.
Republicans take early victory lap as they predict big wins in 2026
Although Republicans have only enjoyed total control of Washington for one week, the party is already looking ahead to the 2026 midterm elections and predicting big wins for the party — despite historical trends suggesting otherwise.
Midterm elections typically act as a referendum on the current party in charge of the White House, with the opposite party historically gaining seats and taking control of the lower chamber. But Republican leaders are projecting confidence they can expand their historically slim majority in the next election cycle even as the party had a net loss of one seat in November.
Republicans are expected to strategize on messaging tactics and campaign policies during the Florida retreat, getting an early start to what could be a crucial election cycle next year for Republicans to defend their newfound trifecta.
“Over the next few days, we’ll be laying out our vision and our plans for 2026 and I can tell you … We’re going to be on offense,” said Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, House Republicans’ main fundraising arm. “What we’re ready to do again is a simple strategy: We’re going on offense.”
Hudson pointed to 13 Democratic-held seats in districts won by Trump compared to just three Republican seats in districts that former Vice President Kamala Harris carried, calling it a “battlefield … laid out to our advantage.”
Trump also took a victory lap during his Monday night remarks, calling the November election the “most epic, consequential political victory in American history” and that “everybody seems to be with us.”
“If we do our job over the next 21 months, not only will House Republicans be reelected and expand our majority in 2026,” Trump said. “We will cement a national governing coalition that will preserve American freedom for generations to come. There has never been anything like what’s happened in politics in the last few years.”