By David Morgan
DORAL, Florida, March 9 (Reuters) - Republicans who control the U.S. House of Representatives will seek to advance President Donald Trump's legislative agenda at a Florida retreat this week, as war and rising costs put their fractious, paper-thin majority on the defensive ahead of November's midterm elections.
House Speaker Mike Johnson and his Republican leadership team, increasingly forced to cajole reluctant members into supporting legislation, hope the warmth of Trump's Doral golf
resort will help forge unity far from the U.S. Capitol.
Trump, who is due to speak on Monday, has frustrated some Republicans by shifting his focus from the economy to international affairs such as the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran and to trade by driving up prices through his tariffs.
With a 218-214 majority, party leaders can lose no more than two votes on legislation uniformly opposed by Democrats while often contending with a "no" vote on spending from Republican Representative Thomas Massie from Kentucky, a deficit hawk.
"There's still things we want to do this year with this majority to work with President Trump to make life more affordable for American families," Majority Leader Steve Scalise, the No. 2 House Republican, told reporters.
"The country expects us to still deliver, and we're going to do just that," he said.
Republicans are keenly aware that affordability, especially on healthcare and housing, is the overriding issue for voters in November. But Democrats hold a slight edge over Republicans on the cost-of-living issue, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling.
A SECOND ATTEMPT TO BYPASS DEMOCRATS?
With the two parties locked in a stalemate over immigration reforms and funding for the Department of Homeland Security, House Republicans hope to find consensus in Florida on legislation that would use a parliamentary tool called budget reconciliation to circumvent Democratic opposition in the Senate.
Republicans used the same technique last year to pass Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill," legislation that proved unpopular with the public and is expected to add $4.7 trillion to the U.S. deficit over 10 years. U.S. debt currently stands at $38.5 trillion.
House Republicans, who are promoting the law's tax cuts on tip and overtime income as affordability measures for American families, believe another reconciliation bill would help win over voters at a time when independent political analysts say Democrats could take control of the House.
"To put the gear into neutral and coast, legislatively, with no commitment to further action would be governing malpractice," House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington told Reuters.
Republicans hold a 53-47 Senate majority but need 60 votes to pass most legislation. Reconciliation, which Republicans used last year to enact Trump's tax cut and spending bill, would allow them to enact a measure with only 51.
But some Senate Republicans are concerned about the prospects for another reconciliation bill, which could put party differences on public display and give Democrats the chance to force Republicans to vote on politically sensitive amendments in the run-up to November.
"The goal is not to have reconciliation. The goal is to solve a policy issue," said Senator James Lankford, vice chair of the Senate Republican Conference.
"I would support it, if we were able to find consensus on what we're trying to accomplish and it's the right tool to accomplish it."
Johnson and his leadership team say they hope to forge consensus in Florida, as lawmakers push proposals on housing and other affordability issues, Trump’s tariffs, new tax cuts and increased spending on defense, immigration and transportation. Hardline conservatives say any new spending must be paid for with spending cuts.
"We have a big playbook. The idea is to determine which of the plays in that big menu are the ones we want to run, and what the priorities are," Johnson told Reuters.
Some Republicans believe that any request from the Pentagon for supplemental funding for the Iran war might also have to go through reconciliation, given Democratic opposition to Trump's actions in the Middle East.
"Let's have the debate about how taxpayer dollars are being wasted right now - billions spent to bomb the Middle East, triggering an all-out war that now involves more than a dozen countries, as opposed to Republicans bothering to find a dime to lower grocery prices or make life better for the American people," House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters.
(Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Scott Malone and Howard Goller)
