GOP Weighs Second, Narrower Reconciliation Push On Affordability Ahead Of Midterms

Some Republican lawmakers are considering a second, narrower party-line reconciliation package aimed at addressing affordability and sharpening the GOP’s message ahead of the midterm elections. But senior party leaders — and former President Donald Trump — have downplayed the need for another bill as large as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and procedural limits in the Senate make passage difficult.

Why Republicans Are Talking About Another Bill

Pressure to show legislative action on affordability is growing inside and outside Congress. Some Republicans say the party did not effectively sell last year’s megabill to voters, while others worry Democrats could exploit expiring ObamaCare subsidies to score political points if the GOP presents no alternative.

“Pretty please, with sugar on top. I’ll add a cherry. I even got an old McDonald’s McRib coupon. I’ll throw that in, too,” Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) said on the Senate floor. “Please bring another reconciliation bill! Please!”

What Reconciliation Would Allow — And Limit

Reconciliation bypasses the Senate’s 60-vote filibuster threshold and allows a simple majority to pass budget-related measures. But Senate rules restrict reconciliation to provisions that directly affect spending or revenue, narrowing what lawmakers can include.

Speaker Mike Johnson initially signaled interest in pursuing additional reconciliation bills, but timelines slipped as Congress grappled with a government shutdown fight. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise acknowledged talks about another package, noting it would be hard to match the scale of the previous megabill and would require consensus across GOP factions.

Where Republicans Might Focus

Health-care affordability is emerging as the central focus for a potential follow-up. With ObamaCare subsidies set to expire for many Americans, GOP leaders are considering measures that would emphasize private-market solutions, competition, and cost control.

Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-Texas), chair of the House Budget Committee, suggested a bill modeled on the previous package but centered on health care — expanding private plans, increasing competition, and driving down costs. Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas) and other conservatives have proposed options like expanded health savings accounts and reforms to pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs).

This week, House GOP leadership is advancing a package of health-care bills outside of the subsidy debate that could preview items Republicans would push in reconciliation, including PBM reform and cost-sharing reductions. Some provisions were removed from the Senate version of the earlier bill because they did not meet reconciliation’s strict rules.

Practical Hurdles

Even if Republicans have procedural opportunities for another reconciliation move, internal divisions make passage uncertain. The House’s slim GOP majority and persistent conservative holdouts complicated the megabill’s progress earlier this year. In the Senate, leaders wrangled with the parliamentarian over reconciliation compliance and negotiated concessions during marathon sessions.

Some Republicans remain skeptical about the political payoff. “We’re all just kind of jerking around it with how the polling looks,” Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) said, warning that a new bill may not resolve public concerns about affordability.

Bottom line: Republicans are exploring a smaller, targeted reconciliation effort focused on health-care affordability and other cost-of-living issues, but leadership signals, Senate rules, and intra-party disagreements make a successful, large-scale follow-up uncertain.

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