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(The Center Square) – In a hyper-partisan Congress that’s facing midterm elections, Republicans in both chambers have united on a plan to pass a second budget reconciliation bill before the balance of power potentially changes.
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Their previous reconciliation bill, the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” focused primarily on President Donald Trump’s tax policies, including permanently extending the increased standard deductions from 2017. It also restrained the growth of Medicaid spending over the next 10 years and tightened work requirements for both Medicaid and SNAP.
Now, after two Democrat-instigated government shutdowns – the second of which is ongoing – Republicans are considering including a massive funding boost to immigration enforcement agencies, money for the U.S.-Israeli conflict against Iran and possibly some election changes.
Republicans will likely have to at least partially offset any new spending, however, to appease fiscal hawks, many of whom are still bitter over the $3.3 trillion price tag of the OBBB.
Additionally, incorporating policies from the SAVE America Act – a voter-ID bill stuck in the Senate – into a reconciliation bill would be difficult, if not impossible.
The Senate’s Byrd Rule prohibits reconciliation bills from including non-budgetary matters, or “extraneous” policies that would not meaningfully add to or reduce the deficit. Otherwise, the privilege of passing the bill in the Senate with only a majority vote would no longer apply.
Some groups are encouraging Republicans to refrain from overspending the second time around.
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget has told lawmakers that another reconciliation bill should include at least $600 billion in deficit reductions.
The Foundation for Government Accountability recently told lawmakers to continue the Trump administration’s “War on Fraud” via the reconciliation process.
The conservative Economic Policy Innovation Center is pushing for more cost-cutting welfare reforms, eliminating renewable energy subsidies, and “investing in election security,” among other Republican policy ideals.
Both House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., support a second budget reconciliation bill that includes more funding for immigration enforcement, but remain noncommittal so far on election reforms, welfare cuts and tax changes.
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This article was originally published at The Center Square. Photo Credit: Official White House Photo by Molly Riley.
