RSC Takes Over the Tim Young Show: "Americans Need Reconciliation 2.0"

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Nearly a dozen members of the Republican Study Committee (RSC) went live on the Tim Young Show, highlighting the urgent need for a second reconciliation bill through the RSC’s “Making the American Dream Affordable Again” framework and other news of the day.

The framework directly tackles the affordability crisis created by the failed policies of the Biden-Harris administration that drove costs through the roof for Americans. RSC members reiterated the urgency for conservatives to act and pass a second reconciliation bill to bring relief to hardworking Americans. 

You can watch the full live show here.

Here’s what you missed:

RSC Vice-Chair Cline (VA-06): “You know, it really hasn't been hard when you listen to the members of our RSC. They come from all across the country, all different opinions about what challenges we need to tackle, but they have great solutions. And if you listen to the members and listen to the people, the answers really present themselves. The affordability crisis that got handed to us by the last administration really is what folks are worried about right now, and we need to tackle this unaffordability crisis in housing, in healthcare, in energy. And the solutions are there. We just need to get them put into a position where it gets universal support among our conference, and unfortunately, with a one vote margin, that's what you have to have, is every member marching in the same direction. And RSC has teed that up for success, and I'm optimistic about how we're going to get across the finish line this year.”

RSC Messaging Task Force Chair Mark Alford (MO-04): “I think it's an amplification of the majority of those on the Republican side who are conservatives and want to get that conservative message out. And as Communications Task Force Chair, that's what I'm helping Chairman Pfluger do. We're doing that with this second reconciliation bill, rebuilding the American Dream in America and picking up some of these pieces that we were not able to attain during the One Big, Beautiful Bill. You might remember, Tim, early on there was a lot of consternation and conversation. Should we have two bills, or should we have one? And we thought at the time, there is no way we're going to get two of these bills passed in the short amount of time that we had. There was so much heavy lifting and so much time consumed on the House Floor and in committees to get the One Big, Beautiful Bill. I think that decision was a right one, that we got this done. We got President Trump's America First agenda done. We made these huge savings for the American people, which we are just now starting to realize, which are going to come to fruition, which are going to be a great tool for us to retain our majority in the U.S. House. But the second reconciliation package is going to amplify that even further, an ancillary bill that's going to help with housing, that's going to help with healthcare, and this is going to help with energy.”

Rep. William Timmons (SC-04): “We've been able to codify some of the DOGE cuts, but we're probably gonna have to use reconciliation for that, because the Democrats won't go along with it, but we're gonna do one more reconciliation package this year so we will be able to codify more there. But I think the most important thing is that all of the underlying language is going to be reset, and it's going to be Republican language, as opposed to previous continuing resolutions, which is all Biden-era funding. So the devil's in the details, and the crazy stuff that the Biden administration put into government funding packages is all gone.”

Rep. Ralph Norman (SC-05): “I've got high hopes for it. I mean, we're working our way toward regular order. The old way of doing business, for the last 30 years, is to punt the ball on first down. I'm on the Rules Committee. We'll have four bills today. We'll have some amendments that hopefully will make a difference. But I'm optimistic. You know, the downside, and I think William may have touched on this, the downside of not passing this bill was with these series of bills, with all the imperfections, you get far worse if it fails, and the spending has got to stop. I mean, we grow the economy, but it's spending. We've got to, at some point, handle that. But this takes the first step. We had a great caucus meeting this morning, and people are optimistic about it. And is it perfect? No, but it's a step in the right direction.”

Rep. Rich McCormick (GA-07): “So what this basically does is it empowers people to make some choices. First of all, when you get transparency, you actually make a choice between which programs offer what most people really, especially if you're young and healthy, benefit off of. You pay out of pocket, and then whatever you have for catastrophic, you pay extra, otherwise, you get these massive insurance premiums that you don't need because you, quite frankly, don't use them. I know a friend of mine recently wanted to get just one little procedure, but the the procedure itself was thousands of dollars, but that was not even as much as the deductible, the copay, and so there's still gonna have to be this massive amount for the premium, which for the average family is over $30,000.  That’s the price of a car per year, whether you use it or not. That's insane. We got to have the right size for everybody's insurance policy.”

Rep. Pat Harrigan (NC-10): “Look, I'm one that believes that we shouldn't have any welfare if you're not an American citizen, period. I don't know how you guys feel about it, but it's just gotten so lopsided, and I think people don't understand exactly the extent to which we are supporting and subsidizing those who are not American citizens and aren't actually being productive members of our society. That's got to stop. There's a lot of work that's been done in this Congress to try to tackle that problem. I mean, look, I think everybody understands we're a year into President Trump's presidency. We're a year and two weeks into this Congress, and I could tell you, like everybody up here is working super hard to try to actually get things across the finish line. It's exhausting, right? Like it is, the amount of work that actually has to get done to get this country back on the right track is such an extensive body of work I don't think very many people actually appreciate how difficult it is and then to actually get it across the finish line here.”

Rep. Stephanie Bice (OK-05): “I think it's important to note that we are looking at Reconciliation 2.0 as sort of an addendum to the Working Families Tax Cuts formerly known as the Big, Beautiful Bill. And Reconciliation 2.0 is going to focus on a lot of areas that Americans are concerned about right now. And one of those is sort of tacking on to the cost of living discussion, but that is paid family leave. The United States is one of seven developed nations that doesn't have some sort of paid leave policy. And what we've created is what I think is a reasonable, conservative approach to paid leave. There's only about a dozen states that are currently offering some sort of leave opportunity for new parents, whether it's the birth of a child or adoption. And so what we're doing is we're saying states, we're going to incentivize you through a grant program, a competitive grant program to come up with your own paid family leave program. It is not going to be funded by the federal government. It is not a mandate, but we recognize that families are struggling, and that we want to give new families, new parents, the ability to stay home with a new baby, to bond with that child, but not have to stress and worry about paying the bills.”

Rep. Randy Weber (TX-14): “President Trump's only been in office a year this time, and you're already seeing great strides being made in affordable housing and affordable energy. I don't know how much you know about my district, Tim, but we're the gulf coast of Texas. We have seven ports. We have more than any other member of Congress. Some have four, we have seven and we produce 65 percent of the nation's jet fuel. 87 percent of the nation's military grade fuel, and 60 percent  of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve is in our district. So for us, energy is a big deal. What President Trump is doing is a big deal. Americans, I have to believe, are watching this, and they're saying, "Thank God there's a new sheriff in town.”

Rep. Eric Burlison (MO-07): “We don't want to waste this or squander this time that we have. We've got a few months, and hopefully we'll win the midterms. But what if we don't? And then if we just coast into the midterms and act cautious, and don't do Reconciliation 2.0, don't try to fix the healthcare system, and don't try to fix the affordability crisis, then the American people are going to reward us with the minority, and we probably would deserve it. But what if we just actually try to get some wins on the board and that will deliver for the American people? It's going to take bold action, and it's going to mean that the President is going to have to lean in on Congress like he did in reconciliation one, that's what it's going to take.”

Rep. Tim Moore (NC-14): “In fact, I'm really surprised that more of the handful of moderate Democrats that we have aren't voting for more of the bills, because these have been common sense things. And I think what we see, what I see, more or less, is the disparity between where Democrats have just been absolutely hijacked by the radical left. But that is, at the end of the day, it is always challenging, because you have to respect everyone's opinion and positions at the same time. You got to get the legislation moving, it’s not an easy job. And I think that Speaker Johnson and also Chairman Pfluger has got, I got to give him a lot of credit, pulling the Republican Study Committee together, making sure that everybody's on the same page to be able to pass these things.”

Rep. Nick Begich (AK-AL): “Look, at the end of the day, I think we're hearing from Americans, you know, they want to make sure that they've got a reasonable cost of living. That's what Republicans have been focused on. That's what we'll continue to be focused on. And I think provisions that drive down the cost of living, that improve the take home pay for America's working families, that's what we're focused on. And when you can drive up take home pay and drive down, or at least hold the cost of living, you're going to have a more affordable environment for Americans. And that's what we're trying to do. We're trying to make sure that people who are working and contributing to the process to the benefit of America, that they have the ability to live a great life. That's the American Dream. That's the American promise that's made to the American worker, and we want to make sure that that promise is fulfilled. So that is sort of the top line objective for budget reconciliation too.”

Rep. Jeff Crank (CO-05): “I think this is a historic opportunity right for the United States, for the State of Israel, for others. I mean, I have talked many times about the opportunity that was missed in 2009 when the citizens of Iran, you know, rose up really, and America left them there to wither on the vine, right? And we didn't come in under the Obama administration and support them, and we saw the Obama administration go on and appease Iran so often, over the nuclear deal and so many other things. So this is a moment where America must rise to the occasion. We ought to do what Ronald Reagan did for the people of Eastern Europe at the time, who were fighting for freedom, and we had a president and a Pope at that time who stood up and said, “You know what? Freedom is worth defending. Freedom is worth exporting.” That's one of the great things that America can do, and I am very hopeful from the Trump administration and their public statements. So we're not going to let this moment pass.”

Rep. Marlin Stutzman (IN-03): “That's the difference that we have here in America now, is that we have a leader in President Trump, who's actually getting things done. Not only he's making the country safer, but let me give you just a quick number, and I'll talk about the housing piece, but 650,000 under President Trump, the private sector has created 650,000 new jobs under President Trump, we've also deported over 650,000 illegals. You know, whether it's murderers, rapists, it's the bad guys that President Trump has been going after, and that's what actually helps make the economy, you know, it puts us in a position to grow. And the housing market has been tough ever since President Biden was our president, because the cost of life went up.”