GOP lawmakers battle as conservatives press for third budget reconciliation bill

Comments: by Emily Brooks - 05/17/26 5:00 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Emily Brooks - 05/17/26 5:00 PM ET Comments: Link copied NOW PLAYING Conservatives are calling on the House to pass a third GOP-only bill through the special reconciliation process to boost Pentagon funding and address alleged fraud in federal programs by the August recess — an extremely aggressive timeline that is sure to face headwinds in the slim majority. Chief among those pushing for that timeline is Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas), chair of the Republican Study Committee, the largest conservative caucus in the House. We have to get this done before the August recess, Pfluger said. It s ambitious. We know the process. We understand as a conference how to come together. Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-Texas), chair of the House Budget Committee that has a key role in crafting the legislation, is also eyeing an August deadline. We re going to have to move quickly, Arrington said. I think we have 25 legislative days left before August break. We need to have something out of the House by then, at least. So, time is of the essence. Such legislation would be a follow-up to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act — which Republicans have rebranded as the Working Families Tax Cut — that President Trump signed into law last year. Republicans used the special budget reconciliation process, which bypasses the 60-vote requirement in the Senate, to pass party-line budget and tax measures. That process can generally be used a limited number of times in a year, giving the GOP trifecta two more chances to use the process to usher legislation to Trump s desk. Republicans are using the second shot at reconciliation on a skinny bill to fund immigration enforcement and border security, as part of a solution to end the record-long Department of Homeland Security shutdown; and fiscal hawks are anxious to not waste their third final shot at reconciliation before the end of the year. This bill allows us to make America affordable again. It allows us to make America secure, and it allows us to make America fraud-free, Pfluger said of the reconciliation 3.0 bill being crafted behind the scenes. The Republican Study Committee in January pitched a framework for such a bill focused on affordability, including reforms to housing and energy. But as Trump conducted strikes in Iran, and as Republicans rallied around opposing alleged fraud in federal programs, congressional leaders in the House and Senate have coalesced around a plan to combine a boost to the Pentagon with anti-fraud reforms. Senate Budget Committee Chair Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has also said he wants that bill to include voting reforms that are a down payment on the SAVE Act, in reference to a voting reform bill pushed by conservatives to require voter ID and proof of citizenship for voter registration. Pfluger argued that Republicans, who are hoping to defy historical trends and keep hold of the House, must be able to show constituents they are delivering on top priorities. When we go home during the August recess we can tell our constituents, here are the provisions that we heard you ask for, and we ve done them, and they re not going to be put into place at some future date. When the president signs the law, people will get to enjoy those benefits, Pfluger said, adding that people could start to take advantage of any tax provisions immediately. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told Politico in the Capitol last week that he thinks Republicans can meet a summer timeline for a third reconciliation bill. But there is plenty of skepticism that Republicans can craft and pass another bill of GOP priorities this summer. It took months of planning — and then several more months of the legislative process — to get the One Big Beautiful Bill Act across the finish line last year. Any bill will have to balance demands from fiscal hawks for spending cuts and the concerns from moderates about pursuing unpopular cuts in a midterm election year. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.), one of just two Republicans who voted against the One Big Beautiful Bill Act last year, said his support for a third reconciliation package will depend on the details — bristling over the idea of a party-line approach. Well, show us what they want to do, Fitzpatrick said. I m always inclined against reconciliation bills, because I don t like single-party solutions. I never have. I voted against multiple Democrat and Republican reconciliation bills, because they re single-party solutions. Fitzpatrick noted that he is the co-chair of the Problem Solvers Caucus, a bipartisan group. I like two-party solutions, he said. Republicans in the House can afford to lose no more than two defections on any party-line vote, assuming all members are present and voting. Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

GOP lawmakers battle as conservatives press for third budget reconciliation bill

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