Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-TX) unveiled a blueprint that instructs the Ways and Means Committee to craft $4.5 trillion in tax cuts, slightly less than the amount it would take to renew Trump’s 2017 tax cuts.

It also includes a $4 trillion debt ceiling increase alongside at least $1.5 trillion in mandatory spending cuts, two provisions meant to win over the Freedom Caucus.

The resolution, delayed by more than a week, comes as Arrington faces mounting pressure to show progress in budget talks. His committee will vote on the resolution on Thursday, allowing House committees to get to work on a bill Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) wants signed into law by Memorial Day.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, is marking up a separate resolution this week that excludes tax reform, defying the wishes of Johnson and pitting the two chambers against each other on strategy.

Instead, the Senate is crafting a $340 billion defense and border bill that Graham hopes to pass before March 14, the next government funding deadline.

Senior White House officials have emphasized the need to “act now” on the border as Trump pursues an immigration crackdown, but Johnson still enjoys support from the president on a single-bill approach.

The budget framework represents a fragile starting point for House Republicans, who control the chamber by only a two-seat margin.

If the resolution passes the Budget Committee on Thursday, committees will have to weigh a series of difficult trade-offs to stick within its instructions. 

Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO), the Ways and Means Committee chairman, must negotiate a compromise on raising the $10,000 cap on deductions for state and local taxes to win over blue-state Republicans. Raising the cap would add to deficits and primarily benefit high-income earners.

Meanwhile, Trump has asked Congress to codify many of the tax promises he made on the campaign trail, including exemptions for tips and overtime pay.

The offsets directed by the budget resolution also likely mean changes to Medicaid, such as work requirements, that could be politically difficult to swallow for more centrist members.