The NOTUS Interview, Steve Scalise Edition: While attention turns to the Senate’s reconciliation bill work this week, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise says House Republicans still have plenty more on their summer to-do list. Namely, rescissions and (optimistically) appropriations bills.
Here’s what he told NOTUS’ Reese Gorman and Daniella Diaz:
- The rescission package from the White House would lock in some DOGE cuts, including to NPR, PBS and USAID. “I’m hearing a little over $8 billion right now,” Scalise said of the total cuts. “Whatever that number is, it’s a good start.”
- Scalise said he hadn’t heard of any Republican resistance to the rescission package “formally,” though once the bill is actually filed, they’d be “gauging member support.”
- Scalise said the House wants to pass every appropriations bill. Reminder: Congress has not passed all 12 individual appropriations bills since 1997.
- “The Trump administration is serious about not only addressing the spending problem on the mandatory side, which we’re doing in reconciliation, but also on the discretionary side, which we’re doing with the rescissions package and then ultimately in the appropriations process,” Scalise said.