Senior House Republicans met with Pete Hegseth as talks around another GOP bill gained momentum. The meeting followed Donald Trump‘s call for $350 billion in additional Pentagon spending. The private discussion signals that Republicans are already laying the groundwork for what some lawmakers are calling “Reconciliation 3.0.” The talks also come days after Trump signed a separate GOP-backed immigration funding package.
Top Republicans reportedly held a meeting with Pete Hegseth over Donald Trump’s bill demand
Talk about another party-line bill seems to be picking up steam after several top House Republicans headed to the Pentagon on Thursday. According to people familiar with the talks, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth hosted a meeting focused on military funding that could end up in a new reconciliation package. Heavy hitters like House Budget Committee Chair Jodey Arrington and Republican Study Committee Chair August Pfluger were in the room (via Politico).
The renewed buzz comes after Donald Trump publicly called for $350 billion in Pentagon spending and urged Congress to move on the SAVE America Act, which has been stuck for weeks. With tensions involving Iran still simmering and Republicans fresh off passing an immigration funding bill, things are tense in Capitol Hill.
After the Pentagon meeting, Arrington explained that much of the proposed funding would serve two purposes. One would replenish resources used during current military operations, while the larger share would focus on upgrading the armed forces.
“Well, the President tweeted and presented a budget consistent with his tweet on what they are looking for,” Arrington said. He described the spending as “future readiness” and called it “a one-time capital infusion” aimed at modernizing the military.
Arrington also said lawmakers and Hegseth discussed using savings generated by the administration’s anti-fraud efforts to help cover the new spending. According to him, the goal is to avoid adding to the federal deficit while still strengthening national defense.
Not everyone in the Senate is ready to jump on board just yet. Senate Majority Leader John Thune shared that Republicans would only agree on the reconciliation route if they were confident they had enough votes to get a bill through both the House and Senate.
