House Republican leaders were uncertain Monday whether they had enough votes to pass a Senate-approved immigration enforcement bill, as the GOP simultaneously began laying groundwork for another budget reconciliation measure ahead of the 2026 midterms.
GOP leaders could not confirm they had secured the votes needed to advance the immigration bill, which requires a procedural vote before reaching the House floor, but some Republicans remain undecided and want more enduring changes baked into the bill, a demand that could tank everything, reported Politico.
"We're literally bending over backwards just to get back to the status quo and to remove people that are just going to come back in four years under the next administration, because we're not codifying anything," said one of the holdouts, Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX).
Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA) also indicated he would oppose the bill, saying he would not support it without enacted reforms. Leadership's whip operation kept other members on a watchlist as well, with attendance an added concern due to primary elections Tuesday in four states.
Despite the uncertainty, House Republicans moved forward with preliminary planning for what some members are calling "Reconciliation 3.0." The Republican Study Committee held a Monday evening briefing with nonpartisan legislative scoring officials to examine the fiscal parameters of assembling another party-line bill.
RSC Chair Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX) described the session as an early effort to get ahead of the process and ensure accurate data.
In a separate meeting in Speaker Mike Johnson's office, Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD), who chairs the House Freedom Caucus, floated incorporating partisan elements of the regular appropriations process into the bill — a suggestion that drew concern from some Republican appropriators.
Johnson acknowledged the idea had come up but said he was not committing to anything. Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) struck a similar note, saying the party remained "far from agreement on 3.0."