WASHINGTON, D.C. — House GOP leaders announced plans in late June 2026 to advance a third reconciliation bill aimed at increasing defense funding, implementing election integrity measures, and addressing government funding before the September 30 deadline. Speaker Mike Johnson stated a reconciliation bill can still pass in time.

Republicans have discussed adopting instructions for authorizing committees to develop a package that would boost defense funding. Representative Lloyd K. Smucker indicated that a defense funding increase sought by President Donald Trump for $350 billion would be a core component. "Obviously, it's been meetings going on for months, but the goal certainly is to do a reconciliation 3.0 that would address some of the needs on the military side, replenishing some of the munitions, and so on," Smucker said.

Smucker also expressed uncertainty regarding the passage of such a bill, stating, "Whether we can get there, I don't know, but I think that's sort of the driver behind it." House Republicans have also considered focusing on fraud prevention as part of the reconciliation package. Speaker Johnson said the elections measure should be included in reconciliation, adding, "You have to put it on a reconciliation bill."

Johnson proposed a grant program with conditions for states to receive funds for election integrity. He stated, "You allow blue states, if they come to their senses and they want to avail themselves of election integrity proposals and ideas and policies, they can draw down from a federal fund and use those funds." However, Representative Ralph Norman indicated that a budget blueprint might not be ready until July. Norman said, "I don't think we'll do a markup before July," and added, "We don't have the time now, unless we get called back into session."

The House Freedom Caucus board released a letter on Wednesday advocating for strict dollar-for-dollar and year-for-year spending cuts. The letter also called for extending a prohibition on federal funding for abortion providers and removing gun taxes. The board further requested that Republicans provide responsible short-term funding for essential government personnel and services. Some conservatives have suggested using reconciliation to provide funding extensions to prevent a partial government shutdown.