Just before leaving for a two-week Easter/Passover recess the House took a necessary next step towards a reconciliation package that will allow the President’s legislative agenda to move forward by approving the Senate passed amended version of the budget resolution. Reconciliation is a legislative process that allows items addressed in the budget resolution to be approved in the Senate by a majority vote thereby bypassing a Senate filibuster.
The Republican majority intends to bundle up a legislative package in what Trump has called “One big beautiful bill” that addresses his priorities, including renewal of the 2017 tax law, government wide spending cuts, increased defense funding and enhanced border security. Additional issues such as raising the debt limit and addressing key elements of the farm bill could also be included in the package. The budget resolution sets tax-and-spending targets for committees with jurisdiction in both the House and Senate over these various policy issues. Work will begin on finalizing this package in the next few weeks.
According to Puck news, the budget resolution left House-passed targets in place, including a $1.5 trillion minimum for spending cuts but set very different standards for Senate panels, totaling just a $4 billion floor for reductions. Agreeing to a final reconciliation bill will be a challenging undertaking and will take up most of Congress’s time in the coming months. Republicans are nowhere near bringing their various factions together on the significant differences they face over massive cuts to federal spending. To get the resolution passed the Senate and House more or less just agreed to disagree. Already a dozen House Republicans sent a letter to GOP leaders saying they won’t back a reconciliation package that includes massive cuts to Medicaid. The fate of the reconciliation bill depends on the outcome of the Medicaid standoff along with other significant issues.