The House Freedom Caucus said Friday that it wants the new Congress to quickly pass a reconciliation bill focused on border issues and then move on to a second, more complicated bill that addresses other key Republican agenda items, including taxes and government spending.
In a letter to Speaker Mike Johnson, the caucus, which includes some of the most hardline Republicans in the House, backed the two-step approach advanced by the incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune, as well as key incoming White House officials, including Stephen Miller, Trump’s deputy chief of staff.
“It is our understanding that President Trump’s closest advisors and experts on the border believe they must have immediate resources to begin to undo the damage caused by the Biden Administration, secure the border, and start removals and repatriations on day one,” the group wrote. “President Trump’s agenda will be enacted, and border security must move first – and then we should move forward to a second, larger reconciliation bill covering taxes, spending, energy, bureaucracy, and more.”
The group also said they want the bill to be ready right off the bat in January, with the costs “fully offset.”
In sending the letter, the Freedom Caucus is breaking with some key Republican House leaders, including Rep. Jason Smith, the chair of the tax-writing Ways and Means committee. Smith recently expressed concerns about the ability of Congress to pass two reconciliation bills in the same year, especially with such a slim majority in the House.
“My preference is we get right into doing the tax bill,” Smith said earlier in December. “I think that’s going to be one of our most important pieces of legislation. We ought to get right on it.”
