The House Freedom Caucus demanded on Monday that GOP leadership fast-track several conservative priorities before Democrats take control of Congress in January.
“Some of us called for action after our first reconciliation package to continue to move to support the American people. Unfortunately, that agenda stalled, and now we will no longer have the majority in the next Congress. We respectfully request that we take action in the next 60 days to protect the citizens we represent,” the caucus’ board wrote in a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune.
The coalition of conservative lawmakers laid out several policies it says the current Congress should advance before Democrats take over. This includes using the reconciliation process — which would require a majority vote in both chambers — to pass a package “to deal with debt, spending, and tax relief.”
The Freedom Caucus argued more specifically that this reconciliation measure should fund defense modernization “to stop Democrats from using it to leverage for expansion of the welfare state.” It also called to make available “significant tax relief for families — particularly for healthcare: Expansion of [Health Savings Accounts] in terms of both savings amount and use to drive down the price of healthcare for families, and codification of Short-Term Limited Duration Plans.”
The conservative lawmakers said that the GOP should cut federal spending by “at least” $1 trillion to “pay for all these items” and reduce the federal deficit.
Congressional Republicans should furthermore “[l]imit annual spending to current levels (for 3rd consecutive year) via a [continuing resolution] CR or Appropriations without policy riders that divide us or constrain the Administration’s ability to eliminate wasteful, fraudulent, and abusive government spending,” the letter reads. And we should “[o]ppose a year-end omnibus with poison pills.”
Outside of spending, the Freedom Caucus also called on Republican leaders to move forward with codifying President Trump’s “border security policies” and a ban on sanctuary cities into law. The body specifically referred to the Permanent Trump Secure Border Act and Shut Down Sanctuary Policies Act of 2026, both of which cleared the House Judiciary Committee and are tailored at addressing such issues.
Other agenda items on the to-do list include passing permitting reform, a ban on stock trading for all branches of government, voter ID legislation, and confirming Trump’s remaining executive and judicial nominees in the Senate.
“Moreover, we request that we not leave town until we accomplish these objectives. Every one of us — including those leaving Congress on January 3rd — should be committed to finishing the job,” the letter concludes.
A representative for Majority Leader Thune’s office told The Federalist that confirming Trump’s remaining executive and judicial nominees will be a “top priority” for Senate Republicans during the lame-duck session. The representative’s statement did not address whether the Senate will advance the policy items advocated for by the Freedom Caucus, however.
Speaker Johnson’s office did not respond to The Federalist’s request for comment by deadline on whether they plan to advance such policies during the lame-duck session.
Monday’s letter comes nearly a week after Republicans suffered tremendous losses in the 2026 midterms. In addition to the Iran war and its associated costs, a leading factor likely contributing to the drubbing was the GOP Congress’s (more specifically, the Senate GOP’s) refusal to fulfill their 2024 promises to voters.
While Johnson announced his intention to step down as House GOP leader, Thune is preparing to seek the position of Senate minority leader in the next Congress. The quick rush for leadership elections has prompted pushback from (so far) roughly half a dozen Republican senators, who are calling for a delay to such contests given the party’s midterm losses.
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