House Republicans on Wednesday voted 216-214 along party lines to begin writing a $95bn bill that would fund the war with Iran and provide new aid to farmers, while also making a long-shot attempt to impose new voting restrictions nationwide. The budget resolution paves the way for a reconciliation bill that can pass the Senate with a simple majority, bypassing the Democratic filibuster. Two Republicans—Warren Davidson of Ohio and Thomas Massie of Kentucky—and independent Kevin Kiley of California joined all Democrats in opposing the measure.
Conflict with Iran Intensifies
The resolution comes as the conflict with Iran escalates. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told the Senate on Tuesday that the war has cost $37.5bn so far. The Trump administration had requested approximately $88bn in supplemental funding, with up to $67.1bn for the war. The House budget resolution authorizes the armed services committee to propose $60bn in spending through 2036 and the intelligence committee an additional $13bn, totaling $73bn expected for military operations against Iran.
Farmer Aid and Voting Restrictions
The agriculture committee is allocated $12bn in spending changes, likely for measures to help farmers affected by the Iran conflict and Trump's tariffs. The House administration committee is authorized to propose $10bn, which it may use to advance the Save America Act, championed by Donald Trump. That act would ban mail-in ballots nationwide and impose stricter voter ID requirements. However, reconciliation rules only allow spending, revenue, and debt limit provisions, so the voting restrictions may be stripped in the Senate.
House Speaker Mike Johnson acknowledged this, saying the goal is to pass "as much of that as possible" of the Save America Act. He added, "As always, Republicans support our troops, our farmers and election integrity."
Third Reconciliation Attempt
This is the third reconciliation bill in Trump's second term, following the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and a measure funding deportation efforts. Democrats criticized the proposal. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said before the vote, "President Trump and Republicans in this House continue to act indifferent to the economic wellbeing of the American people." He added, "Republican extremists apparently have money for wars, but can't feed the poor."
Senate Outlook
The House approved the resolution two days before recess until end of August. Senate Majority Leader John Thune signaled no urgency, saying he would "hold" the measure in case government funding negotiations fail before the September 30 deadline. If needed, the Senate could repurpose it for a stopgap funding measure. Some Senate Republicans object because the resolution doesn't meet the $1.5tn defense spending request for 2027, while others oppose the lack of offsets for new spending amid rising national debt.
