APPLENEWS - STORY ADD
Trump admin live updates: Trump strikes deals with law firms totaling $600M
The agreements were with five law firms for pro bono work.
President Donald Trump held a Cabinet meeting with his top officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, as well as Elon Musk, on Thursday.
It follows Trump on Wednesday changing course on his tariff policy, instituting a 90-day pause in higher taxes for most countries while ramping up the rate against China to 145%.
On Capitol Hill, Republican leaders pushed through a budget blueprint to fund Trump's domestic agenda despite some GOP hard-liner opposition.
Latest headlines:
Johnson says he believes they have the votes to pass Trump-backed budget blueprint
House Speaker Mike Johnson, after having to pull a vote on Trump's budget blueprint, said he had "very productive" discussions with members last night.
"I'm happy to tell you that this morning, I believe we have the votes to finally adopt the budget resolution so we can move forward on President Trump's very important agenda for the American people," Johnson said.
The House is expected to hold a vote on the blueprint in the 10 a.m. hour.
Johnson, Thune to speak on budget blueprint as Trump claims lawmakers are 'getting close'
House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune are holding a news conference on Capitol Hill regarding the budget blueprint to move forward on Trump’s legislative agenda.
The newser comes after Johnson had to pull a House vote on Wednesday evening because of Republican holdouts.
President Trump weighed in this morning, claiming that lawmakers are "getting close" to passing his economic agenda.
"'The Big, Beautiful Bill' is coming along really well. Republicans are working together nicely. Biggest Tax Cuts in USA History!!!," Trump wrote in a post to his conservative social media platform.
Speaker Johnson scraps budget vote for Wednesday night
House Speaker Mike Johnson said the House will not vote on its planned budget vote Wednesday night because a small "subset" of members are not totally satisfied.
He met with more than a dozen members for over an hour and told reporters "stay tuned," regarding the vote.
What happens next for the House is to be determined as it is unclear if a vote will occur Thursday.
-ABC News' Arthur Jones
Whitmer joins Trump in Oval Office, but doesn't 'endorse actions,' spokesperson says
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer appeared inside the Oval Office during President Donald Trump's session of executive order signing on Wednesday, where Trump called her a "very good person" and emphasized her efforts regarding the Great Lakes ecosystem.
Trump gave Whitmer a shoutout during the signing, saying, "We're honored to have Gretchen Whitmer from Michigan, great state of Michigan. And she's been -- she's really done an excellent job and a very good person."
Following the appearance, Whitmer's spokesperson told ABC News that the governor was "surprised that she was brought into the Oval Office" during Trump's executive order signing event.
"Her presence is not an endorsement of the actions or statements made at the event," the spokesperson said.
-ABC News' Oren Oppenheim and Hannah Demissie