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November 26, 2024

Reconciliation?

GOP leaders' aides meet to talk reconciliation

The meeting is another sign that the new Republican-controlled Congress is determined to act swiftly on Trump's agenda once he takes the oath of office.


Eleanor Mueller

Aides to congressional Republican leaders met Monday afternoon to start hammering out plans for partisan spending legislation that would allow them to bypass Democrats while enacting President-elect Donald Trump’s economic agenda, including massive tax cuts, two people with direct knowledge of the talks said.

House Speaker Mike Johnson's staff huddled with those of House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and McConnell’s successor, Sen. John Thune, according to the people, who were granted anonymity to discuss a private conversation.

The meeting is another sign that the new Republican-controlled Congress is determined to act swiftly on Trump's agenda once he takes the oath of office.

Most bills need a supermajority to pass the Senate. But a process known as budget reconciliation allows lawmakers to pass a limited number of spending-related bills using only a simple majority.

Republicans’ control of the House, Senate and White House next year will enable them to use the tactic to enact proposals that won’t attract bipartisan support — the same way Democrats did the last time they held the trifecta — like extending expiring Trump-era tax cuts. They've been strategizing how to do so since earlier this year.

But there are still several outstanding questions, from how long it would take to put together a plan to what to include. Some GOP priorities recently outlined by Scalise — like funding the border wall, overhauling energy project permitting, and boosting immigration enforcement — could be a stretch, since reconciliation requires policies to have a "direct" impact on the federal budget.

Rep. Mike Waltz intends to resign from Congress on Jan. 20, the day President-elect Donald Trump is sworn into office, according to a person familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

That means Waltz (R-Fla.), who Trump picked to serve as his national security adviser, will still be in Congress during the Jan. 3 speakership vote, where Speaker Mike Johnson is seeking his first full term leading the GOP conference.

Waltz's intended resignation date, first reported by POLITICO, comes as the offices of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Secretary of State Cord Byrd announced the dates of special elections to fill the seats of members leaving the House like Waltz and former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.).

Senate Democrats will hold their leadership elections on Dec. 3 beginning at 9:30 a.m., according to a senior leadership aide.

Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s scheduling of the elections comes on the heels of Republicans selecting Sen. John Thune as the incoming majority leader next Congress and shuffling around a host of other roles.

The most closely watched race is expected to be between Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) over who will succeed retiring Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) for the No. 3 spot in party leadership.

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