Key facts
- The U.S. House of Representatives voted to advance a $1.15 trillion National Defense Authorization Act.
- A stopgap funding measure to keep federal agencies operational through the November midterm elections was also advanced.
- A budget blueprint designed to fund President Donald Trump's priorities, including his voter ID bill, moved forward.
- Lawmakers are expected to vote on these measures, along with a bill banning stock trading by members of Congress, before their August recess.
- Republicans are leveraging budget reconciliation to potentially pass legislation with a simple majority in the Senate.
The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives has voted to advance several key pieces of legislation before their August recess. These include a $1.15 trillion defense policy bill, the National Defense Authorization Act, and a stopgap measure to fund federal agencies through the November midterm elections.
Lawmakers also opened debate on a $95 billion budget blueprint championed by President Donald Trump, which aims to fund his priorities, including a partisan voter ID bill known as the SAVE America Act. The House voted 214-211 to move forward on these measures, largely along party lines.
Republicans are seeking to utilize budget reconciliation, a parliamentary tool that allows certain legislation to pass the Senate with a simple majority, to enact measures related to defense, intelligence, farm aid, and voter ID restrictions. President Trump actively encouraged House Republicans to vote in favor of the budget resolution.
Several factions have criticized the budget resolution, including fiscal hawks seeking spending cuts and defense hawks who believe the proposed defense outlay falls short of Trump's long-term goals. The Senate, led by Majority Leader John Thune, hopes to consider its own continuing resolution before its August 6 break, but this depends on negotiations with Democrats.