- “We will introduce a reconciliation bill, one way or another,” Moreno — who said it was “more likely” that the Republican Party would occupy the Senate — told reporters outside the Capitol on Thursday.
- But if the Republicans lose: “It will be the “Last Supper”. So this will be a giant reconciliation bill in which we will take every Republican priority that we can achieve. »
- “If we lose the House and the Senate, we should be here from November 9 to December 31 without any break,” he said. “For example, we’ll have turkeys here for Thanksgiving.”
Zoom: Conversations are underway in congressional offices about what a reconciliation package might look like during the lame duck session between the elections and next year’s new Congress, a source familiar with the matter told Axios.
- “We are working with the White House and the White House to develop what is included so that we can sell it to the public and to our Republican colleagues when we return,” Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), chairman of the Budget Committee, told Axios.
- The election results won’t change much for frequent holdouts like Senators John Cornyn (R-Texas), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) who are on their way out.
- Not to mention Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), who are appropriators and known for breaking the party.
What to watch: Republicans face a long to-do list, including funding the government after Dec. 11, passing emergency defense spending and raising the debt ceiling.
- All of this could be seen as part of a larger reconciliation plan that requires only a majority vote to pass.
- But not everything lends itself to the reconciliation process – and big bills can cause big headaches.
Other tasks to be performed include:
- Pass the National Defense Authorization Act
- Reauthorization of FISA Section 702, Warrantless Wiretapping Authority
- Adopt the agricultural law
- Adopt licensing reform
- Confirmation of applications
Between the lines: Some of the administration’s top priorities are banking on the partisan-led reconciliation funding maneuver, including Trump’s sprawling Golden Dome missile defense system, autonomous weapons development efforts and upgrades to the F-35 fighter jet.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told attendees at a military conference Wednesday that the Pentagon needs a “minimum” of $350 billion to “rebuild the military.”
The plot: If the Republicans lose their majority in the Senate, it will almost certainly be up to Moreno to try to win it back.
- He is running for chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee – so far, unopposed.
Axios Defense reporter Thomas Novelly contributed to this story.
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