Posted on 03/10/2026 3:27:16 PM PDT by Miami Rebel
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Tuesday floated the idea of passing a sweeping spending package aimed at targeting what he described as fraud, waste and abuse in Democratic-led states.
Johnson said during a news conference at the House Republican retreat in Doral that he’s been a “champion for reconciliation as one of the important tools in the toolbox.”
“I think that we can come together and envision a Venn diagram as I do — what are those handful of issues that are in the center of those concentric circles that is something that every Republican can agree on, that is great things for the country,” Johnson said.
“I think the central theme of all this is we’re going to continue … working to lower the cost a bit for everyone because it’s a central issue, and also to stand up fraud, waste, abuse, and you’ve seen the fraud that’s been put on display in states like Minnesota. California is being audited for some of their fraud, some of the big blue states, I think they’ve got serious problems. We can use potentially reconciliation as a vehicle to address some of that as well,” he added.
Republicans on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee just last week grilled Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) and state Attorney General Keith Ellison (D) over their handling of a fraud scandal within Minnesota’s social services programs.
President Trump has made the scam, and the fact that many of those convicted were of Somali descent, central to his immigration crackdown in Minneapolis. And in his State of the Union address last month, he announced a broader “war on fraud.”
Reconciliation packages are often used by the majority party in Congress because they can get around a Senate filibuster, which generally requires 60 votes.
But another reconciliation package would face an uphill climb in the House, where Johnson is navigating a razor-thin majority and a divided conference.
“I’m going to guess for you, Democrats are not going to help us on that, because they’re the ones that have been covering for fraud. Some of these things we have to do on our own, so to speak, as a partisan priority, and reconciliation is to be able to do that,” Johnson said.
Rep. Jason Smith (R-Mo.), chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Tuesday that passing a second reconciliation bill is “extremely rare and difficult.”
“In that first one, we had to thread a needle like you could not imagine, trying to balance all the different personalities and opinions,” he said.
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Man! Extra points for using “Venn Diagram”!
Probably because there are more than a few Republicans who are guilty of the same crimes.
They should have one bill funding DHS (remainder of this year and next year’s budget) as well just pass the same budget they passed for the current fiscal year for next year again under reconciliation. Let’s not give them another “government shutdown” just before the election and wait until the last second again...zero reason for it.
No reconciliation!!!
These traitors need trials, convictions, and sentences (many including a short drop and quick stop).
So, if everyone returns the stolen loot, no one gets arrested?
American legislators are a national embarrassment. That this is even debated is disgusting.
“The House has consistently shown more gumption than the Senate. I wonder why Rep. Smith thinks it’d be tough to get House Republicans behind this overdue fraud-busting bill.”
____________________________________________________________
The House has always been the more loud and adventurous side of Congress, with the Senate intentionally slowing down each process for deeper consideration.
George Washington described it as a cup of hot tea, tipped into the saucer to cool off before drinking.
So? Thune and the Senate won’t to anything.
Johnson is an idiot if he thinks this will fix it. Nothing short of an actual law can challenge all the fraud that’s occurred. For him suggest anything other than a law is ridiculous.
Man! Extra points for using “Venn Diagram”!
= = =
He just needs to add in ‘calculus’.
Michigan was just busted putting dead people back on their voter rolls.
Missed that.
I probably became the viciously cynical critic of the justice system and government because of being born and raised in Michigan.
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