A major House GOP faction unveiled its framework Tuesday for a new party-line Republican policy bill that aims to slash the costs of housing and health care.
Among the slew of proposals under the Republican Study Committee framework is the “Don payment” — a program creating a new zero-to-low-down-payment option for mortgage shoppers. The plan would also create new tax-advantaged “health freedom accounts” that would allow Americans to directly receive federal subsidies for insurance.
In addition, the plan suggests cutting energy costs by accelerating the permitting process and refilling the Department of Energy’s strategic oil reserve with “discounted Venezuelan oil.” Overall, the framework would include cuts of $1.6 trillion to government spending.
“There’s three major things that I think are threatening the American dream right now: housing costs, health care costs and energy costs,” said Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas), the RSC’s chair, at a Tuesday news conference. “We’ve got to get this done. We know we have a narrow window of time.”
While the release of the framework signals buy-in from a large swath of House Republicans, a second massive party-line bill is sure to create further divisions within the GOP’s slim House majority. The chairs of critical House committees, including tax-writing chief Jason Smith (R-Mo.), have expressed skepticism that there’s a path forward under the multistep budget reconciliation process.
Vulnerable Republican moderates are especially wary of further changes to health policy as they maneuver to fight for their seats in November and defend against Democratic attacks on the Republicans’ steep cuts to Medicaid enacted last year.
While Speaker Mike Johnson has not yet endorsed the RSC plan, he told reporters Monday that he hopes to do a narrower reconciliation bill in 2026 and that GOP leaders would work to build internal consensus around potential policies in the coming weeks.
Republicans’ House majority has dwindled in recent weeks with the retirement of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and the death of Rep. Doug LaMalfa of California. Other members have been absent for health reasons, making the GOP’s control of the chamber especially tenuous.
But Pfluger said, with the help of President Donald Trump, complete unity is within reach for the House GOP, and he called on the White House to get on board.
“I hope that they take note of this plan,” he said. “When the president says, ‘Let’s go do this,’ I think … skepticism will fly out the window.”
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