Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley is urging Senate Republicans to pass the Trump-endorsed “Big Beautiful Bill” budget plan, which was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this week. Failure to do so, Whatley warned, could prove catastrophic for the party in the 2026 midterm elections.
“We’ve seen the House deliver on the ‘big, beautiful bill’; we need the Senate to do the same,” Whatley told “The Cats Roundtable” on WABC 770 AM-N.Y. “I think we’re going to have a lot of time to discuss over the next month what the Senate needs to do to get this bill done.”
The RNC chairman further warned that Republican fortunes in 2026 likely hinge on the bill, as the party seeks to defend a five-seat House majority and navigate a Senate map that appears far less favorable than it did just a month ago.
“In the House we’re going to have a five-seat majority going into the [2026] election,” Whatley told host John Catsimatidis. “There has never been an election with a five-seat majority for either party going into it. We have our work cut out for us there.”
Whatley expressed optimism over voters’ growing disillusionment with the Democratic Party, however. He argued that Democrats continuing to double down on unpopular issues such as opposition to deportations and forced acceptance of gender ideology will only hurt their chances.
“But if the economy is strong, and the Republicans stay united, and the Democrats continue to double-down on stupid, which is what they’re doing every single day,” he continued, “then we’re going to be in a position to expand that majority in the House and hopefully hold our own in the Senate.”
The Trump-backed “Big Beautiful Bill” legislation, which includes billions in additional funding to bolster deportation operations, faced a protracted battle in the House. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), an avid budget hawk, and Rep. Warren Davison (R-OH) joined all Democrats in voting against the bill, while House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris (R-MD) voted “present.”
“While I love many things in the bill, promising someone else will cut spending in the future does not cut spending,” Davidson said after the vote. “Deficits do matter and this bill grows them now.”
Reps. David Schweikert (R-AZ) and Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), the latter of whom fell asleep after an all-night debate, missed the vote entirely. All in all, the bill passed by just one vote, with 215 members voting in favor and 214 against.
Republicans are bracing for another protracted budget battle in the Senate, as several Republicans, including Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), have already voiced concerns over deficit spending.
Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) voiced similar concerns and told reporters that he is willing to resist pressure from the White House. “They just kept talking about $1.5 trillion. They set the bar way too low,” Johnson said Thursday morning in reference to the minimum amount of savings House Republicans were looking to secure as part of the package.
“The goal of the House effort has been to pass one big, beautiful bill. It’s rhetoric. It’s false advertising. The goal should have been reduce average annual deficits, so we have to focus on spending,” he said.
