Cami Mondeaux writes for the Washington Examiner about planning among incoming congressional Republican leaders.

As Republicans settle into their new majorities in both the House and Senate, the party is planning to act swiftly to secure early wins that will allow President-elect Donald Trump to advance his agenda quickly.

However, Republicans still need to agree on what matters to prioritize before they can get the wheels turning in the 119th Congress. Although they’ll hold control of Congress, their slim margins in both chambers will make it easier said than done to achieve the aggressive changes Trump is hoping to implement after he takes office on Jan. 20, 2025.

“We’re still having a lot of conversations about the structure,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) told reporters in December. “The good news is there are a lot of really good, important things that we want to do in reconciliation.”

Because of filibuster rules in the Senate, most legislation requires 60 votes to advance bills to the floor for a final vote — meaning Republicans will need to rely on at least seven Democrats to vote with them. However, Republicans are planning to circumvent Democratic opposition on key agenda items by using a procedure known as budget reconciliation.

Through that process, Republicans can prevent the usage of a filibuster to expedite the passage of certain legislation and go around the minority party by enacting key pieces of their agenda with a simple majority vote. 

There are certain rules for how often reconciliation can be used, and Republicans will only be able to utilize it for budget-related legislation such as taxes, spending, and the debt limit.

Republicans won’t be able to start moving their spending priorities through Congress on Day One. Reconciliation requires both the House and Senate to pass a budget resolution, which sets tax and spending levels that are then directed to specific committees to achieve a certain budgetary outcome. 

Once those committees create legislation adhering to those outcomes, it is considered a reconciliation bill that is later added to the legislation.