House Republicans handed down another victory this week! After months of negotiations and deliberation, the House passed the reconciliation package titled H.R. 1. It’s been a long and slow process, but that’s precisely how legislating occurs. Congress was designed to be a deliberative body that weighs each policy carefully and allows input from various Members. Early Thursday morning, they were able to reap the fruits of their labor.
House Republicans have been intentional in speaking with their constituents, meeting with allied organizations, and coming together to produce the best product possible for the American people. Eagle Forum supported some of the language in the reconciliation package during the committee markups and included the House’s final passage vote in our Congressional Scorecard. While the bill is not completely perfect, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) expertly navigated the full range of Republican desires, from conservative requests to more moderate ones. They could not afford to lose a handful of Republicans, nor did they have the time to renegotiate in future months due to other pressing legislation and midterm elections next year.
We are thrilled with the following wins included in this bill (and they are huge). The House Energy and Commerce Committee included language that defunds big abortion facilities, such as Planned Parenthood, so that they can no longer receive federal dollars. Planned Parenthood has performed over 10.1 million abortions, aided and abetted human trafficking, lied about the services they provide, and left women to bleed out due to complications. They do not need to be propped up by our hard-earned dollars. Defunding these entities has been a top priority of the pro-life movement for decades, and House Republicans have made it happen.
Not only will Planned Parenthood take a budgetary hit on the abortion front, but they, along with other clinics, will no longer receive federal dollars to provide so-called “trans” services to kids and adults. The House Energy and Commerce Committee defunded all federal payouts through the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid, and CHIP for cross-sex hormone treatments or surgeries to those with gender dysphoria. Originally, the Medicaid language only stopped payments to those who were minors. Speaker Johnson, after hearing concerns from conservative groups, expanded that language to adults as well in his Manager’s Amendment, which ultimately passed.
Another victory is that the reconciliation bill provides the resources needed to secure our borders. The House Homeland Security, Judiciary, and Energy and Commerce Committees included language to ensure the Trump administration could continue its enforcement efforts. There will be funding to build and maintain the Southern border wall, increase border patrol agents, ensure that illegal immigrants are not receiving federal benefits, and deport those here illegally, especially those actively committing heinous crimes.
Additionally, families will see their paychecks go a lot further after the passage of this bill. The reconciliation package preserves President Trump’s 2017 tax cuts. Those are set to expire soon, so without this bill being signed into law, all Americans’ taxes will revert to the higher levels from the Obama Administration. Unnecessary Green New Deal policies under the Biden administration were eliminated as well, including those enacted through the Inflation Reduction Act and the electric vehicle mandate. Eliminating these wasteful programs will save the taxpayers and curb the “climate control” of our daily lives.
Crafting this bill was not all smooth sailing. There were two issues on which conservatives and moderates had to compromise. First, there is the Medicaid issue. The Left hammered Republican Members on talking points that demonized what they call cuts to Medicaid. The truth is Obamacare has greatly expanded the pool of people eligible to receive aid — including able-bodied single men — adding millions to the program. Now, it’s on the brink of bankruptcy and is projected to cost $1 trillion over the next ten years. Something had to be done. The final language in the House reconciliation bill protects Medicaid for the most vulnerable by instituting work or volunteer requirements for those who are capable and removing illegal aliens from the rolls.
The other point of contention was regarding the state and local tax deduction (SALT) that gives residents the ability to write off their state and local taxes on their federal returns. This SALT provision disproportionally benefits residents of high-tax states and blue cities, with New Jersey, California, and New York residents benefiting the most. Cuts were made to the SALT deduction during the first Trump Administration, and Members from these states have been advocating for increasing the amount their over-taxed constituents can write off for years. While a few Republican Members are from those states, without them, the GOP would not have a majority in the House. Currently, the amount that can be deducted is $10,000. The reconciliation bill would raise that amount to $40,000 for those making $500,000, which phases out depending on the tax bracket an individual is in.
Now, the ball is in the Senate’s court. They will offer changes to the House version, and we must encourage them to maintain all the great items listed above. Once the Senate has passed its bill, the House will have to vote on that final version.
This package has truly become “One Big, Beautiful Bill” that benefits every American individual and family regardless of their political party. We applaud Speaker Johnson and House Republicans for tirelessly putting in the hard work to create such a well-crafted bill. As the Speaker stated shortly after passage:
The media and the Democrats have consistently dismissed any possibility of House Republicans succeeding in our mission to enact President Trump’s America First agenda. Once again, they have been proven wrong. Today, the House has passed generational, nation-shaping legislation that reduces spending, permanently lowers taxes for families and job creators, secures the border, unleashes American energy dominance, restores peace through strength, and makes government work more efficiently and effectively for all Americans. House Democrats voted against all of it — which clearly proves they want tax hikes on their constituents, open borders, and Medicaid for illegal immigrants. We look forward to the Senate’s timely consideration of this once-in-a-generation legislation and stand ready to continue our work together to deliver The One Big Beautiful Bill to the President’s desk.
