Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
House Republicans appear no closer to deciding which offsets they'll use to help pay for an extension of Trump tax cuts.
Why it matters: The process began after the 119th Congress was sworn in three weeks ago and has put health payfors like Medicaid per capita caps, PBM reforms and Medicare site-neutral payment changes on the table.
State of play: House Republicans met on reconciliation options Wednesday and heard committee chairs present essentially the same options that have been circulating over the last few weeks.
- House Energy and Commerce Chair Brett Guthrie said that he again reviewed policy options for Medicaid that have been discussed, but there wasn't any winnowing.
What they're saying: "We're still working it," Guthrie told Axios. "I'm still working with my committee, then we've got to work with the conference, and we're all going to be together in a retreat."
- "I'm not on Ways and Means. A lot of people aren't on Energy and Commerce, and so hearing this stuff, it's difficult and it's important, it takes time.… But there's no narrowing. These are still our menu of options," he said.
- House Budget Chair Jodey Arrington also said Wednesday that lawmakers still don't have a top-line number for the reconciliation bill.
Reality check: Speaker Mike Johnson has set out an ambitious timeline for reconciliation, saying he wants a budget resolution passed by the end of February and a reconciliation bill passed by early April.
- That may be difficult to pull off with no concrete decisions yet on payfors or whether the reconciliation package should be passed via one or two bills.
What we're watching: House Republicans will hold a retreat at President Trump's golf club near Miami next week, and reconciliation strategy will be on the agenda.
