Key facts
- The House Budget Committee approved a $95 billion package.
- The package includes $60 billion for the Iran war.
- It also allocates $12 billion for Agriculture and $10 billion for Administration.
- Republicans advanced the proposal on a 20-14 vote.
- The measure uses budget reconciliation to bypass potential Democratic objections.
- The House called on President Donald Trump to halt the war on Iran for the second time.
Republicans on the House Budget Committee have advanced a $95 billion package aimed at funding the Iran war, providing farm aid, and implementing strict new voter ID requirements championed by President Donald Trump. The measure passed on a 20-14 party-line vote, with Chairman Jodey Arrington framing it as a final effort to deliver on campaign promises before the midterm elections.
The package allocates the largest portion, approximately $60 billion, to the Iran war, which Arrington defended as necessary for "bombs, bullets and battlefield readiness." An additional $13 billion is designated for Intelligence, $12 billion for Agriculture, and $10 billion for Administration, which encompasses voting and election matters.
This proposal marks the third budget reconciliation package advanced by House Republicans this session. This legislative procedure allows them to advance priorities with simple majority votes, bypassing potential objections from Democrats. This same process was previously used to pass Trump's tax cuts and to secure Homeland Security funding. The US House called on President Donald Trump to halt the war on Iran for the second time, though the action is largely symbolic and invokes legally controversial authority under the War Powers Act. This underscores the conflict's unpopularity and fears among vulnerable GOP lawmakers of a backlash in upcoming midterm congressional elections.