WASHINGTON, D.C. — House Republicans on Wednesday unveiled a massive emergency spending package to address the war with Iran, national security, farmers and election integrity.
Republicans call the package “Reconciliation 3.0.”
“Reconciliation 3.0 is in process. There will be a markup this week,” said Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La.
House Republicans are moving quickly to advance the $95 billion emergency spending plan. Republican lawmakers utilized the budget reconciliation process for last year’s “One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act,” (OBBBA) Trump’s landmark tax and spending cuts law. Reconciliation allows Congress to advance and pass budget-related legislation with only a simple majority. The Senate filibuster requires most bills to reach a 60-vote threshold in order to pass. For more partisan priorities, building consensus and gaining bipartisan support to reach 60 votes in the chamber is extremely difficult.
Unlike the OBBBA- or what Republicans now call the “Working Families Tax Cuts” Act- the latest GOP proposal includes no spending cuts to offset its cost. It instead relies largely on additional federal borrowing.
The budget resolution, or framework, seeks to allocate $73 billion in new funding for the Pentagon and national security, while also setting aside $12 billion for farmers and $10 billion for state election grants linked to President Donald Trump’s election security agenda.
Republicans could utilize the budget reconciliation process to advance some components of the Save America Act- a controversial, Trump-backed voter I.D. proposal- to sidestep the Senate filibuster and pass the proposal with a simple majority.
The spending push comes just a few days after President Trump officially informed Congress, again, that the U.S. is once again at war with Iran. The formal notice kicks off a new 60-day War Powers window for the president, following the shattered ceasefire agreement with Iran.
Democrats on Capitol Hill are pushing back this week. Senate Democrats on Tuesday blocked a more than $1 trillion annual defense bill for the Pentagon.
“I voted no on the Pentagon’s budget because the Trump Administration cannot even tell us the full cost of the war in Iran. A bit of transparency for our soldiers and the price tag is not too much to ask,” said Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., on social media.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., blasted the additional funding request in the House GOP budget resolution, or “Reconciliation 3.0.”
“To give the so-called Department of War more than $75 billion, at least, to continue Operation Epic Failure in the Middle East,” said Jeffries. “And I’m pretty confident that every single House Democrat will strongly oppose this effort, and the same will take place in the Senate.”
Democrats argue that President Trump is violating the War Powers Act by acting without congressional approval. Most Republicans disagree.
“I think the president is within his rights,” said Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Pa. “Sure, you can argue it until the cows come home.”
“The executive branch, the president has to keep our country safe and secure,” said Rep. Jack Bergman, R-Mich., who believes congressional approval depends on the situation and the threat.
“There are certain times that it makes sense to consult with Congress. But he can’t wait in some cases, based on the threat, for Congress to act. And in this particular case, Iran has shown time and time again, they’re a bad actor, they can’t be trusted,” said Bergman.
Bergman said in the end, he does not believe any negotiation with Iran is “going to be fruitful.”
“Number one, no boots on the ground,” Bergman said when asked what needs to happen next. “As long as he keeps Congress informed, that’s all I hope.”
As for the new Republican spending plan, both the House and Senate must first pass the same budget resolution before they can craft and advance the actual legislation. The House Budget Committee is set to consider the resolution on Thursday.
A full House vote could follow next week, just ahead of Congress’ five-week August recess.
