House passes budget with reconciliation path
The Republican-led House has given the green light to a budget resolution that will lead to a $95 billion bill aimed at funding military operations in Iran and offering financial help to struggling farmers. This move opens a clear path to use the budget reconciliation process, a procedural tactic that allows the bill to bypass the Democratic-led filibuster in the Senate. The vote on the budget resolution was 216 to 214, with all Democrats and a small number of Republicans, including Warren Davidson from Ohio, Thomas Massie from Kentucky, and independent Kevin Kiley from California, casting votes against the plan.
War costs and farm aid take center stage
The budget includes a major funding push for military efforts in Iran. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared with the Senate that the conflict to date has already cost $37.5 billion. In response, the House has set aside $73 billion for military operations, closely matching the Trump administration’s request for $88 billion in supplemental war funding.
Voting restrictions face Senate hurdles
Alongside military and agricultural funding, the budget resolution includes $10 billion in support of the Save America Act. This piece of legislation, backed by President Trump, aims to eliminate mail-in voting and introduce strict voter ID requirements. However, Senate rules restrict reconciliation bills to only cover spending, revenue, and the national debt limit. As a result, many of the Save America Act’s core provisions could be removed during the Senate process. The bill’s supporters, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, have stated the goal is to pass “as much of that as possible” in the version of the bill. Still, the Senate’s procedural limitations make it likely that only the financial aspects of the Save America Act will make it through.
The budget resolution is the third time in Trump’s second term that Republicans have used reconciliation to move their agenda forward. Previously, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and a funding measure for agencies tied to the administration’s mass deportation efforts were passed using the same technique. However, the process in the Senate is not without challenges. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican, has said he would hold the budget resolution if negotiations with Democrats on government funding collapse before the 30 September deadline. In that case, Thune mentioned the Senate might repurpose the bill into a stopgap funding measure along party lines, although he expressed hope that would not be necessary.
Some Republican lawmakers in the Senate have already raised objections to the budget resolution, pointing out that it does not meet the Trump administration’s requested defense spending target of $1.5 trillion for the 2027 fiscal year. Others have criticized the lack of offsets—measures that reduce other spending or raise revenue to balance the new expenditures—especially in light of the country's growing national debt. These concerns suggest the bill could face resistance even within the Republican conference.
The House’s decision came just two days before it is set to recess until the end of August, adding pressure to move the budget resolution swiftly. Democrats have been vocal in their opposition, with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries calling the plan reckless and arguing it prioritizes war and partisan policies over the financial stability of everyday Americans. Jeffries also criticized the bill for funding wars but failing to address issues such as poverty and economic hardship.
As the House prepares to step away for the month, the Senate’s role in shaping the final version of the bill remains critical. While there is some hope that a bipartisan funding deal could be reached before the 30 September government shutdown deadline, the current political climate suggests the bill could become a test of party unity and strategy in the Senate.