Republican senators fear that the narrow House GOP majority in next year’s Congress could rain chaos on President-elect Trump’s agenda and are pushing to finish up work on the overdue annual appropriations bills before Trump takes office on Jan. 20.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has insisted on punting the annual spending bills into March of next year, but GOP senators worry that’s a big strategic mistake.

GOP senators fear that Trump’s first 90 days in office will get bogged down in fights over spending cuts that could divide the GOP and sap energy from an effort to secure the U.S.-Mexico border.

And they worry the same spending fights that paralyzed the GOP-controlled House in 2023 and 2024 will plague the even smaller House GOP majority next year.

“I hate it, I think it’s a mistake,” said Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) of the plan favored by House Republicans to pass a government funding stopgap that lasts until mid- or late March.

“Speaking of rebellious House members, House Republicans, I think they’re making a mistake forcing the CR into March,” he said, using an abbreviation for continuing resolution (CR). “I think it’s a bad strategy. I just think clearing the deck would have been so much better.

Cramer warned that lawmakers will be forced to juggle the leftover spending bills in February and March while they’re processing Trump’s Cabinet picks and putting together a budget reconciliation package to secure the border.

Senate Republicans worry more generally that a one-, two- or three-seat majority during the first few months of next year could make it difficult to pass anything.

House Republicans will have a........

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