House Freedom Caucus Advocates for Two-Step Reconciliation Strategy

WASHINGTON—The House Freedom Caucus is promoting a dual-phase strategy to advance President-elect Donald Trump’s agenda using reconciliation, which could lead to a confrontation with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).

Reconciliation is a legislative process that facilitates the passage of tax, spending, and national debt-related legislation in Congress, bypassing the 60-vote filibuster threshold typically required in the Senate for most bills.

The Freedom Caucus’s proposal, introduced on Jan. 16, aims to raise the debt ceiling by $4 trillion while securing an equivalent amount in savings over the next two years. This proposed increase is contingent upon a commitment from House GOP leadership to provide “dollar-for-dollar savings over 10 years through both reconciliation and appropriations bills.”

“We’re discussing this among our members,” Johnson stated at an event organized by Politico. “I’m not definitively tied to that; it was just the initial concept. We will see how it evolves.”

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Another element of the plan includes allocating between $200 billion and $300 billion over four years toward national security initiatives, encompassing defense and border security.

The caucus has suggested spending cuts ranging from $361 billion to $541 billion over the next decade.

These reductions would encompass, among other measures, the repeal of the Biden administration’s electric vehicle mandate, the withdrawal of IRS funding approved under the previous administration, the cancellation of student loan forgiveness, the implementation of work requirements for Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and the cessation of benefits and fees for undocumented immigrants.

The Epoch Times has reached out to Johnson’s office for feedback on the caucus’s proposal.

In a statement, the conservative group asserted that this plan could secure the necessary 218 votes to pass in the House.

“We would rapidly allocate funds for border security, modernize the U.S. military, reverse some of the most detrimental Biden policies, recalibrate federal agencies and programs, and raise the debt ceiling for two years while effectively bending the spending curve down for the first time in decades,” it stated.

The caucus expressed its openness to negotiation.

“We are prepared to entertain any proposal and work collaboratively with colleagues on their respective issues, negotiating in good faith regarding necessary spending cuts to achieve meaningful deficit reduction through reconciliation, whether it entails one bill or two,” they asserted.

“However, we must not squander a single legislative day—and the swift adoption of such an approach would enable us to achieve many of our most crucial objectives promptly,” they added. “The American public does not wish to wait.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has also indicated a preference for two reconciliation bills.

Reuters contributed to this report.