WASHINGTON — House Republicans narrowly adopted a $95 billion budget proposal on Wednesday to fund “bullets and bombs to finish the job” in the US war against Iran as well as President Trump’s priorities for voting safeguards in elections.
The budget resolution passed in a 216-214 vote, with every Democrat opposing it. Reps. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) crossed the aisle to vote “nay” as well.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) was able to allay concerns from other budget hawks that the resolution lacked spending offsets. With its passage, the House will soon enter its summer recess until Aug. 31.
STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE LATEST NEWS BY SUBSCRIBING TO MORNING REPORT NEWSLETTER
The resolution now heads to the Senate where Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) has another two weeks to consider it. Once both chambers adopt it, a budget bill operating under the same framework would have to be drafted and passed in the House and Senate.
Thune has indicated he may also “hold” onto the resolution as a backup plan if Democrats oppose passing another government funding bill in September.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth had appealed to Congress earlier this week for $67 billion in supplemental funding as an “urgent, necessary injection” that could “address the immediate needs” of his department during the more than four-month war with Tehran.
Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-Texas), who chairs the House Budget Committee, said that Wednesday’s package covered those “bullets and bombs to finish the job.”
The resolution included at least $60 billion for the Pentagon, $13 billion for additional national security provisions and $12 billion in aid to farmers struggling under Trump’s tariffs.
Another $10 billion was set aside for items included in a previous piece of legislation, the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship when registering to vote — a top priority for the president ahead of the 2026 midterms.
House Democratic leaders balked at the price tag, with Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) saying “not a single dollar, not one, will go toward lowering the costs that people face.”
“Instead, Republicans plan to spend tens of billions of dollars on Trump’s failed war in Iran,” Aguilar said in a statement. “Think about what we could spend with these resources instead.”
An Associated Press-NORC public opinion poll recently found that most Americans disapprove of the president’s strategy in the Iran conflict — with 65% of US adults against his handling.