Republican deputy says Congress will have a busy agenda after the midterm elections

Republican Rep. Blake Moore of Utah told Bloomberg Television that the U.S. Congress will return from the midterm elections with a "packed" agenda that includes licensing reform, the defense authorization bill, government funding and a possible reconciliation package. The interview was given to the program "Balance of Power", six days before the vote.

Pressed by host Kailey Leinz about the cost of living, Moore said candidates need to be "real" with voters. He acknowledged that Republicans, who control the White House, House and Senate, were not expecting current gas prices. According to the deputy, the war with Iran worsened the situation, and the relief expected in the summer, with the first drafts of a memorandum of understanding, did not come.

Energy and licensing

In response, Moore pointed to a licensing reform project that, according to him, has a bipartisan and bicameral character. The deputy said that the Senate should analyze it as soon as the Legislature resumes work, right after the elections, and that the proposal must have support in the Chamber. In his opinion, the measure signals to voters that parliamentarians are looking for concrete solutions to the price of energy.

Reconciliation and public accounts

The session after the elections, known as the "lame duck", will also include the Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and the entire budget appropriations process, the deadline for which, according to Moore, ends around December 11. He said that, if there is room for a reconciliation project, Congress should take advantage, although he recognizes the difficulty of bringing everyone together around a single proposal.

Moore stated that the previously prepared text should undergo changes. Among the possibilities, he cited a project of his that combats fraud and which, according to him, would save hundreds of billions of dollars over ten years. For investors who follow the American fiscal risk, the size and content of a possible package are points to observe.

Regarding the deficit, the deputy highlighted that there would be a significant reduction in 2025, with spending containment and revenue growth. A relevant part of this drop, he said, came from revenue from tariffs. After the Supreme Court's decision, he admitted that part of this reduction will be lost, but stated that the result showed that it was possible to reduce the deficit substantially.

Moore also defended the creation of a fiscal commission, which, in his view, would serve as a catalyst for Social Security reforms and extend the useful life of the program. The proposal passed through the Budget Committee in the previous legislature, but did not advance as he would have liked. The presenter recalled the six-year deadline for the so-called Social Security “cliff”.

Leadership at stake

Moore confirmed that he intends to continue as vice president of the Republican conference. He said he expected House Speaker Mike Johnson to remain a relevant part of the leadership if the party loses its majority, but admitted that no one knows what will happen after Tuesday. For him, the hope is to return Johnson to office in the next legislature.

Automatically translated from Portuguese.