Capitol agenda: House eyes summer for another party-line bill

House Republicans are aiming to finish before August another party-line bill that they hope will persuade voters to keep them in power in midterm elections.

House GOP leaders and a group of GOP members in closed-door meetings Tuesday discussed passing a third reconciliation bill by the end of July, five people with direct knowledge of the conversations told Blue Light News. The third party-line bill would be in addition to the current immigration enforcement spending bill moving through the Senate.

Speaker Mike Johnson told Blue Light News as he left the House floor Tuesday “I do” think Republicans can meet that timeline. Rep. August Pfluger, who has pushed for the additional party-line bill as chair of the Republican Study Committee, said he was optimistic it could be done.

“We have achieved every objective and goal that we set out to do,” he told Blue Light News. “And we will achieve this one as well.”

Plenty of obstacles stand in the path to their plan. One senior Republican noted there are just over 30 legislative days that the House is in session before summer recess, which begins July 23.

Both chambers would also have to approve an identical budget resolution, meaning the fractious House and Senate would have to agree on broad outlines for the bill — a process that took months during last year’s drafting of the GOP’s megabill.

The party also has yet to finalize its second reconciliation bill focused on immigration enforcement. The legislation has become mired in debate over a provision that could allow up to $1 billion in spending for the Secret Service and security for President Donald Trump’s ballroom project, which polls show is deeply unpopular with voters.

That ballroom spending debate has only added to calls from members saying the party needs to do more to address cost-of-living matters before voters go to the polls in the fall.

Some members argue Republicans have struggled to sell to the public the “big, beautiful bill” they passed last year. And more recently, House and Senate Republicans are facing divisions over a gas-tax holiday being demanded by Trump, not to mention housing and energy permitting bills that have stalled for months.

That set of overlapping internal battles — and rising inflation numbers — are underscoring the party’s political peril. Another reconciliation bill, which Republicans can pass without Democratic support, is seen as crucial to efforts to show voters they can deliver affordability solutions.

“Well, do we pass it? Or do we try?” Sen. Rick Scott said. “I know we’re going to try.”

What else we’re watching: 

— GOP LEADERS LUKEWARM ON GAS TAX HOLIDAY: Trump’s plan to suspend the federal gasoline tax is getting a reality check from GOP leaders wary of taking a political gamble with relatively little payoff for Americans at the pump. A day after Trump’s call to action and more than two months into a Middle East war that has caused fuel prices to surge, congressional leaders were not throwing any weight behind legislative proposals, preferring instead to wait and see whether Trump will make a more direct appeal to Congress.

— WARSH POISED FOR RECORD LOW BIPARTISAN SUPPORT: The Senate’s vote Wednesday on Kevin Warsh’s nomination to lead the Federal Reserve is poised to be the most partisan of any Fed chair ever. While some Democrats say they were impressed with Warsh in their private meetings, few are expected to back him, largely because they think he’s doing Trump’s bidding.

Meredith Lee Hill, Kelsey Brugger, Jordain Carney, Andres Picon, Pavan Acharya, Amelia Davidson, Jasper Goodman and Sam Sutton contributed to this report.