Key facts
- House Republicans passed a budget resolution to begin writing a $95 billion bill.
- The bill aims to fund the conflict with Iran and provide aid to farmers.
- It includes an attempt to pass the Save America Act, banning mail-in ballots and imposing voter ID requirements.
- The resolution authorizes $73 billion for military and intelligence operations against Iran and $12 billion for agriculture.
- Democrats criticized the bill as reckless and harmful to Americans' economic well-being.
House Republicans have agreed to draft a $95 billion bill that would allocate funds for the ongoing conflict with Iran and provide new aid to farmers. The chamber passed a budget resolution with a narrow 216-214 vote, enabling the creation of a reconciliation bill that can bypass the Senate filibuster with a simple majority. This procedural move is intended to advance the legislation, though policy-heavy provisions like new voting restrictions may be stripped out in the Senate.
The proposed funding includes $73 billion for military and intelligence operations against Iran, responding to a request from the Trump administration for supplemental funding. The agriculture committee is set to receive $12 billion for farmer assistance, aimed at mitigating the global economic impacts of the conflict and trade tariffs. An additional $10 billion is allocated for the Save America Act, championed by Donald Trump, which seeks to ban mail-in ballots and implement stricter voter identification requirements.
Democrats strongly opposed the budget proposal, with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries criticizing it as "reckless and costly" and detrimental to the economic well-being of Americans. He argued that Republicans prioritize war spending over supporting the poor.
Senate Republican leadership has indicated a cautious approach, with Majority Leader John Thune suggesting the measure might be held as a fallback option if negotiations on government funding fail before the September 30 deadline. Some Senate Republicans have also expressed reservations about the bill's total defense spending not meeting the Trump administration's requested $1.5 trillion for fiscal year 2027 and the absence of spending offsets, given the rising national debt.