Setbacks on Republicans’ second filibuster-proof package in Congress are not deterring them from pursuing a third focused on combating fraud and affordability issues.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Wednesday that Vice President J.D. Vance, who chairs an executive branch anti-fraud tax force, is involved in the effort.
“The White House is dialed in on this 100%,” the Louisiana Republican said.
Republicans are using the budget reconciliation process to skirt a Senate filibuster and pass their top party priorities.
But the budget process can be used only once per fiscal year, giving Republicans just three opportunities in the current Congress to pass reconciliation bills.
They enacted their first sweeping reconciliation package last summer. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act extended and expanded President Trump’s first-term tax cuts.
That package also cut federal spending on Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program by adding work requirements and other changes that Republicans said were aimed at reducing fraud and refocusing the programs on the most vulnerable.
A second reconciliation package that could advance through the Senate as soon as this week is focused on immigration enforcement, specifically funding U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection through the remainder of Mr. Trump’s term.
That measure has stalled for a few weeks because of political snags over Mr. Trump’s new White House ballroom and his $1.776 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund, which the Justice Department now says is dead.
The original bill included $1 billion for the Secret Service, some of which was to pay for security upgrades to the ballroom and broader East Wing renovation project, and $1.5 billion for the Justice Department to investigate fraud.
Both funding pots have since been removed.
While the Justice Department funding did not include any money for the Anti-Weaponization Fund, Republicans were concerned that keeping it in the bill would let Democrats offer germane amendments related to it that could pass with a simple majority vote.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blance told lawmakers during a House hearing on Tuesday that the Justice Department is permanently abandoning the plan to stand up the Anti-Weaponization Fund, but declined to commit it to writing.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he believes most senators were “pretty satisfied” with Mr. Blanche’s comments during the public hearing and that he hopes to begin consideration of the reconciliation package on Wednesday.
“I think, for the most part, at least, his comments were extremely helpful,” the South Dakota Republican said. “Whether they are enough for some of our members, we’ll find out.”
The setbacks on the second reconciliation package have not stalled work on the third, at least in the House.
“We’re going to have a third reconciliation bill that comes up in the coming weeks,” Mr. Johnson said, promising it would continue Republicans’ work to combat waste, fraud and abuse in government.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said Republicans are meeting with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz on Wednesday to discuss legislative proposals to combat fraud under his agency’s jurisdiction.
“Dr. Oz estimates over $100 billion just in durable medical equipment and hospice fraud,” the Louisiana Republican said. “Imagine over $100 billion just in one agency. … We’re able to take that money, the savings that we get from fraud prevention, and give it back to families.”
As Republicans continue work on the reconciliation measure, the House is also taking up a trio of bills this week focused on combating fraud.
The measures would place new guardrails on the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program and federal childcare assistance and stop “ghost students” from stealing federal financial aid.
