House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris (R-MD) and Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) sent a letter to incoming Senate Republican Leader John Thune (R-SD) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) on Wednesday, stressing the need to prioritize the prompt passage of a border security-focused reconciliation bill at the beginning of the 119^th Congress. They also mentioned a second bill that would extend the Trump administration tax cuts while “including necessary spending reforms and cuts.”

MEET THE NEW CONGRESS: THE HOUSE AND SENATE FRESHMEN ELECTED TO SERVE NEXT YEAR

“We’ve talked to Sen. [Lindsey] Graham (R-SD), he’ll be the chair of the Budget Committee, and he is absolutely committed to having a border bill done quickly that Donald Trump can sign and will get the border secure,” Scott said Wednesday, standing alongside a group of House and Senate Republicans at a press conference.

.@SenRickScott is standing alongside Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris are urging @SenJohnThune and @MikeJohnson to prioritize a two-track reconciliation process – one is border centric and then followed by tax policy. pic.twitter.com/dzRwT3STH4

— Samantha-Jo Roth (@SamanthaJoRoth) December 18, 2024

Harris emphasized that Trump should be in the best position possible to deliver on his mandate once Congress gavels into session after the holidays.

“We know that extending the tax cuts is incredibly important but will require some hard decisions to be made on spending reductions in order to control the deficit,” Harris said. “The first thing we need to do coming out of the box is we need to pass an emergency border bill.”

This group of Republicans will have significant influence in a House expected to temporarily have just a 217-215 GOP majority, meaning the party cannot afford a single defection on major legislation with full attendance. Senate Republicans can only afford three defections on major bills.

In their letter to Thune and Johnson, the lawmakers said the first reconciliation bill introduced in the 119th Congress should provide four years of funding to:

• Complete and strengthen the border wall started during Trump’s first term.

• Hire thousands of additional Customs and Border Protection officers and agents and Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to effectively secure the border and apprehend and remove migrants who have entered the United States illegally.

• Ensure a substantial increase in ICE and CBP detention and short-term holding facilities.

• Encourage self-deportation by imposing significant financial penalties on those here illegally.

• Limit and, in most instances, eliminate a noncitizen’s ability to apply for and receive taxpayer-funded welfare benefits.

• Any increases in spending should be offset with mandatory spending cuts and achieve deficit reduction with additional spending cuts.

The lawmakers said the second budget reconciliation should focus on preventing the massive tax increase that automatically takes effect on Jan. 1, 2026, if lawmakers do not renew Trump’s first-term tax cuts.

“In returning President Trump to the White House, the American people could not have been more clear,” Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) said at the news conference. “They want operational control of the border again. We are going to deliver real border security right up front and no more kicking the can down the road.”

The letter was signed by 28 conservative Republicans and Freedom Caucus members in the House and Senate.

The Washington Examiner reached out to Johnson and Thune’s offices for comment.