House Republicans officially kicked off their pursuit of a second budget reconciliation bill this Congress, unveiling a policy framework Tuesday morning loaded with energy and environment provisions.
The blueprint, which the 190-member Republican Study Committee developed over the past several months, represents the GOP’s first concrete step toward another party-line bill as the conference looks to score more legislative wins ahead of the November midterm elections.
Committee leaders cast the framework as a “vetted menu” of policy options for the broader conference to consider. It includes numerous proposals intended to streamline the permitting process for energy projects, as well as ideas for killing energy efficiency standards, overhauling the government’s regulatory process, and imposing new restrictions on federal grants and subsidies.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and some other Republican leaders in Congress are bullish on the prospect of advancing a sequel to last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, even as President Donald Trump and some other key players have thrown cold water on the idea.
“It would be political malpractice if we did not pursue a reconciliation 2.0 plan,” Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas), chair of the Republican Study Committee, told reporters Tuesday.
“There’s no reason to stop our progress right now,” Pfluger added. “We have momentum on our side, and there’s more work to be done.”
The framework includes several dozen bullet points, not legislative text, so the exact nature of some of the proposals is not completely clear. The extent of some of the proposals’ budget impacts — a requirement for inclusion in a reconciliation law — is also unclear.
Republicans want to try again to pass a version of the “REINS Act” through reconciliation. The legislation, a conservative priority, would restrict an administration’s ability to implement major rules without Congress’ approval.
Under the heading “Energy Independence and Economic Security for All Americans,” the RSC included multiple proposals to ease permitting-related obstacles for energy and infrastructure projects.
One would establish a program called “Keeping the American Promise” that would “provide economic protection” against future administrations canceling approved permits, licenses and investments for fossil fuel projects. The framework does not mention renewables or energy sources with broad bipartisan support, such as nuclear and geothermal.
Another proposal would impose “royalty-style fees” on plaintiffs suing the federal government for alleged violations of “procedural environmental laws.” The fees’ revenues would go toward the Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division.
Republicans included a plan to establish categorical exclusions — presumably under the National Environmental Policy Act — for “forest management-related activities.” The goal would be “protecting natural resources and promoting effective wildfire management,” according to the framework.
The framework also includes a proposal to impose a fee on states’ applications for waivers that would allow them to set more stringent pollution limits than those imposed by the Clean Air Act.
