House Republicans are preparing to advance a fourth budget reconciliation bill, this one focused on identifying and eliminating government waste and fraud, according to House Majority Leader Steve Scalise.
Scalise confirmed the plan in an interview with Fox News Digital, stating the intention is to return funds to taxpayers by rooting out abuse of federal dollars. He referenced the process as part of the party's broader strategy, echoing the sentiment behind President Donald Trump's initial "one big, beautiful bill."
"We want to root that out. So we're gonna move yet another reconciliation bill to focus on things like rooting out waste and fraud, to give that money back to taxpayers," Scalise said.
The budget reconciliation process allows for legislation to pass with a simple majority in both the House and Senate, bypassing the need to overcome a Senate filibuster. However, measures included in such bills must comply with specific rules, including a focus on budgetary impact and a prohibition on altering programs like Social Security.
Republicans have previously passed two reconciliation bills: one addressing tax priorities and another for immigration enforcement funding. A third bill is currently in development, projected to add approximately $95 billion in federal spending over 10 years, including allocations for the U.S. war with Iran, aid to farmers, and election security measures.
Some fiscal conservatives within the House GOP have expressed reservations about the third bill's lack of offsetting spending cuts. House Speaker Mike Johnson and Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought reportedly pitched the fourth bill, focused on waste and fraud, during a recent closed-door meeting to address these concerns.
Scalise indicated that the planning for this fourth bill began concurrently with the development of the third, with leadership moving forward immediately after the passage of the second reconciliation measure.