Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) scoffed at the concept of balancing the federal budget before the 2026 elections.
The Department of Government Efficiency has cut millions from various government departments, spurring conversation about balancing the federal budget. While fellow Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) has called for a balanced budget as soon as this year, Marshall was skeptical of such a short timeline.
“Well, the most important numbers that Ron didn’t talk about is 218 and 50,” Marshall said Monday on Fox Business’s Mornings with Maria Bartiromo. “It takes 218 votes in the House, 50 in the Senate. There’s going to be a compromise. We have people in the House and the Senate squealing over just a $1.5 trillion cut over 10 years already, so I think there’s something in the middle.”
House Republicans originally had a majority in the 119th Congress with 220 seats to Democrats’ 215. Since then, Trump nominated former Reps. Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz for attorney general and national security adviser, respectively, only to have Gaetz withdraw his nomination after resigning from the House. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) was slated to become the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations but has since had that nomination withdrawn so she could remain in the House and help her party cling to the smaller majority.
Democrats have also had two representatives die in recent weeks: Sylvester Turner of Texas and Raul Grijalva of Arizona. They now occupy 213 seats, bringing the number of vacancies to four.
RON JOHNSON URGES CONGRESS TO ‘CODIFY’ DOGE SPENDING CUTS TO ATTAIN TRUMP AGENDA
“I agree with Ron that our goal should be to get to balanced budget,” Marshall said. “Do I think we can do it in one year? I wish we could. I think it will be a four-year project. That’s my personal goal is get to balanced budget in four years. I think with President Trump’s leadership we can do that.”
Both Marshall and Johnson serve on the Senate Budget Committee under Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC).