In a process Americans hate but have grudgingly become accustomed to, we’ve come down the road to where the can was kicked back in December. But things are a lot different now. Donald Trump has come in hard and fast with a whirlwind of changes and cuts to government. At his side has been Elon Musk, the Tonto to Trump’s Lone Ranger, leading the charge in exposing the waste, fraud, and abuse our federal government has perpetrated for far too long.

The trillion-dollar question now is whether these cuts can be enshrined into a new Continuing Resolution (CR) that would wrap up the remainder of FY2025 and take us to the end of September. President Trump supports a “clean” CR that would keep most of the spending intact and allow Congress to work in the DOGE cuts for the next regular budget. While it’s not the greatest idea, it gained the support of the important House Freedom Caucus. Its leader, Andy Harris of Maryland, conceded, “Congress must keep the government open so that DOGE can continue to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse in our government. This continuing resolution is necessary to advance President Trump’s agenda.”

That support proved crucial in the House passing the CR on Tuesday.

As Sarah Arnold of Townhall explains about the CR, “It will freeze spending and eliminate waste, ensuring that Trump’s America First agenda moves forward. It will also fund mass deportations of illegal immigrants and secure the southern border. In addition, the CR will help root out corrupt Deep State spending. The only thing it won’t do is make Democrats happy.” If there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s that if Democrats are unhappy, we know we’re on the right track.

The editors of The Wall Street Journal, who also support the CR, point out that additional money in the deal will bolster defense and border spending while reducing domestic accounts by $13 billion — a modest amount in terms of federal spending, but enough to make a difference for some needed programs.

The White House is also putting up the full-court press to Republicans, stressing that this may be their one chance to put DOGE in motion and have the entire summer to work out the budget while keeping the Democrats on the defensive and at bay. Matt Margolis at PJ Media reminds us that’s the Democrats’ whole playbook:

The left’s propaganda machine is already spinning lies about the CR cutting healthcare and veterans’ benefits. It’s the same tired playbook they’ve used for decades — crying wolf about program cuts and tax cuts for the wealthy — while protecting their corrupt spending schemes. Here’s the bottom line: Democrats aren’t interested in fiscal responsibility or government efficiency. They’re terrified of what DOGE might uncover next, and they want a shutdown to protect their swamp-dwelling allies because that’s who Democrats really represent.

Yet there are some supporters, particularly those at National Review, who would like to see more from what they’re calling the “DOGE cuts.” The editors of that tome note that Senate Republicans would like rescission cuts added to the package, which would be the first major usage of impoundment since the Reagan years. This should be a priority for the summer months once President Trump puts together a Reaganesque list of funding to claw back.

Another primary priority, according to Jennifer Butler, is a revival of federalism. “A coalition of more than 130 state leaders is calling on the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to strengthen the federalism review process as part of the administration’s broader deregulatory efforts,” she notes. “In a letter signed by the state leaders, the coalition calls on OMB Director Russell Vought to issue clear guidance that prevents federal agencies from bypassing state authority in the implementation of regulations. The letter outlines key recommendations to maximize the impact of Trump’s deregulatory push by embedding federalism in the regulatory process.”

Finally, weighing in from the legal side is former federal prosecutor Andrew McCarthy, who cautions the Trump administration that “when it comes to freezing domestic spending, the president’s problem isn’t the partisan affiliation of the jurists; it’s the Constitution’s bedrock separation of powers principle.” So you can’t blame the Obama and Biden appointees.

McCarthy continues, “Congress decides by statute what the government will spend taxpayer money on. The president’s job is to carry out those decisions — to execute the laws faithfully. The president lacks impoundment power of the extravagant breadth the administration likes to imagine.” This may be news to McCarthy’s National Review colleagues, but passing the CR would give the conservative side a six-month breather to debate these finer points and learn what else DOGE has dug up in the coming months.

Alternatively, squandering the opportunity will result in what our Douglas Andrews warned us about the last time around: “For the next two years, the Republicans will control the presidency and both houses of Congress. If they can’t make serious progress during that time on these matters — budget, spending, and debt — then why on earth are we rewarding them with our votes?”

DOGE has been a Godsend, but it’s past time to put it into budgetary law. We are completely over the “are you kidding me?” shock upon learning the next egregious misuse of the people’s hard-earned money. If Democrats discover Republicans really can govern, there’s no telling how many heads will explode on that side of the aisle.