‘Reconciliation 3.0’ Faces Hurdles From Both Parties

Republicans pushed several spending bills through walls of partisan pushback last week, but the party remains set on aiming for a third reconciliation package that would provide additional funding for immigration enforcement and other priorities.

Before leaving for summer recess, the House of Representatives passed “Reconciliation 3.0” as a budget resolution, meaning it is a blueprint for future legislation rather than an enacted spending package. The package, if approved later this Congress, would provide roughly $95 billion in additional funding for priorities including defense, intelligence operations, agricultural aid and election-related measures.

Rep. Randy Weber (R-TX) told Texas Politics that a third package is needed to address priorities he believes were left unfinished in the first two reconciliation efforts.

“We've got to do better this time than we did last time. Sooner rather than later,” Rep. Weber said. “And again, our Democrat friends are going to vote against it because they don't want [President Donald] Trump to get any credit.”

The first two reconciliation packages provided about $1.85 trillion in combined funding for tax cuts, spending reductions and immigration enforcement. Democrats largely opposed the packages, as well as this third reconciliation bill, for sending funding to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Rep. Christian Menefee (D-TX) said he thinks that agency has more than enough federal funding.

“They got $75 billion from the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill,” Rep. Menefee said in an interview with Texas Politics. “What they [Republicans] need is to completely reimagine that organization.”

But these concerns from the party come after two fatal shootings involving ICE officers in Texas and Maine, prompting renewed scrutiny of the agency from Democrats.

“These have been unarmed folks,” Rep. Menefee reiterated. “So we need massive reforms.”

In addition to not addressing broader concerns, Rep. Menefee said the reconciliation package does not present any meaningful path toward reform.

“What I want to see from a funding package is something that moves ICE to the side, so that we can address that separately,” Rep. Menefee said, stressing that Democrats do not want to penalize other DHS agencies like the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

However, Democrats are not the only ones questioning a third reconciliation bill.

“I continue to have significant concerns that must be addressed, including the failure to offset the proposed spending, the inability to address other critical conservative priorities and the lack of certainty regarding the final treatment of the [Safeguard American Voter Eligibility] SAVE America Act,” Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) said after the budget framework passed.

Although Rep. Roy said he does still support the “overall objective” of the third reconciliation bill, it must include the SAVE America Act in full paired with a “firm, public commitment” to offset the package through the next reconciliation bill or future appropriations measures.

“Republicans must remain committed to fiscal responsibility by paying for every dollar of new spending and pursuing meaningful deficit reduction even as we use the reconciliation process to overcome partisan obstruction…” he said.