RECONCILIATION LATEST — Speaker Mike Johnson told House Republicans at a retreat Saturday that President-elect Donald Trump wants one reconciliation package instead of the two Republican leadership has been pushing, three people in the room during the discussions told POLITICO. Republicans met behind closed doors at Fort McNair in Washington to strategize for their plan to pass a sweeping package skirting the Senate filibuster key to implementing Trump’s agenda. Trump’s one-bill pitch is a break from Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s push for a two-bill strategy and aligns with House Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith’s (R-Mo.) wishes. House Energy and Commerce Chair Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) spoke at the retreat Sunday and outlined potential reconciliation options, including on health care, energy and telecommunications issues like spectrum, a spokesperson for Guthrie told Pulse, declining to be more specific. “The retreat was an opportunity to continue conversations amongst the Conference on how to achieve our reconciliation goals,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “Chairman Guthrie, along with the Members of Energy and Commerce, look forward to providing solutions during this reconciliation process to achieve the goals of the Republican Majority and President-Elect Trump.” Some Republicans have eyed the reconciliation package to change Medicaid and reduce spending, which could help pay for other priorities like tax cuts. Guthrie previously told POLITICO he’s always supported per capita allotments for Medicaid, which could lead to lower Medicaid spending by allocating money based on population, not the cost of care. “It doesn’t cut Medicaid,” Guthrie said. “It allows Medicaid to grow … if you lose population, you lose money, and if you gain population, you gain.” What’s next: Committee chairs and other House Republicans are set to travel to Mar-a-Lago to meet with Trump at the end of this week. NEW LIFE FOR PBM REGULATION? With the backing of Senate Finance Committee Chair Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and President-elect Donald Trump, Congress’ bid to further regulate pharmacy benefit managers has new life this Congress despite falling off a government funding package last month. Crapo’s legislation that would change business practices for the drug-pricing middlemen in Medicare with then-Finance Chair Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) passed out of the committee 26-0. A spokesperson for Crapo told Pulse that the senator “remains committed” to moving his health care priorities across the finish line. Days after meeting with pharmaceutical executives last month, Trump said he supports reducing drug prices by cracking down on PBMs. That’s despite Trump and Department of Government Efficiency leader Elon Musk helping kill a stopgap measure late last month to fund the government that included a sizeable health care package with sweeping new PBM regulations. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE RULES PACKAGE — After the narrowly divided House reelected Speaker Mike Johnson on Friday, the chamber adopted a rules package that will make it harder for members to oust the speaker. It will now take nine members to trigger a motion to vacate the speaker instead of just one, which led to former Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s ouster last Congress. That should provide more stability for Johnson, though Friday’s vote underscored frustration with the speaker among GOP hardliners. It also tees up several bills for consideration in the coming weeks, including one aimed at cracking down on fentanyl and another that would reaffirm the rights of infants born alive after rare botched abortions and would threaten medical providers with up to five years in prison if they fail to provide the same level of care as they would to other newborns. The package also limits bills considered under suspension of the rules — an expedited process that requires a two-thirds vote to pass — to Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. House lawmakers have used the maneuver to pass stopgap funding legislation late in the week under time pressure. That could make it more difficult to get bills through at the last minute.
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