Some Republicans are looking to the next fiscal year to try to codify President Trump’s orders to cut federal spending as a divided Congress barrels toward a shutdown deadline.

Trump voiced optimism this week that cuts pursued by his “Department of Government Efficiency,” headed up by tech billionaire Elon Musk, would “get a very easy vote” in the GOP-led Congress, if it comes to it, as his sweeping orders get tangled up in the courts.

But while conservatives are pushing for the cuts to be included, there is skepticism among Republicans that they’ll be able to get it done as part of a broader funding deal they plan to strike by March 14 – when they’ll need Democratic support to prevent the government from shutting down.

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), who heads the committee that oversees annual funding for the departments of Education and Health and Human Services, said last week that she thinks the orders would more likely have an impact on fiscal year 2026 funding bills than spending legislation for the current year.

“I would see it more forward looking,” Capito said when asked how Trump’s recent orders are impacting current funding talks. “I just think that means we need to keep the spending and the expenditures in line with what this administration wants to do, much like they kept the spending in line with what Biden wants to do, which was a lot of green, a lot of DEI, a lot of all........

© The Hill