WASHINGTON — House Republicans pushed through a $95 billion budget proposal Wednesday in a party-line effort to fund the Iran war and advance President Donald Trump’s top policy goals, overcoming objections from Democrats and a small group of GOP members who broke ranks.
The final vote was extremely close — 216 to 214 — with two Republicans and one independent siding with Democrats in voting against the measure.
Speaker Mike Johnson pressed forward with the plan despite divisions within his own party. Some conservatives expressed concern that the package includes no offsetting spending cuts. Johnson viewed the approach as the most viable path to move Trump’s agenda through a divided Congress, even as the Senate remains skeptical.
“Just bullets and bombs to finish the job,” said Rep. Jodey Arrington, a Republican from Texas who chairs the House Budget Committee.
Democrats pushed back, arguing the money would be better directed toward domestic needs — particularly efforts to reduce everyday costs for American families.
The vote came as Trump attended the dignified transfer ceremony for four service members who died in the Middle East, bringing the total U.S. military death toll in the conflict to 18. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told senators during a heated hearing this week that the Pentagon is running low on funds, even after receiving a one-time $150 billion allocation in last year’s major budget legislation.
The spending package breaks down as follows: $60 billion for the Pentagon, $13 billion for other national security needs, $12 billion for farmers facing hardship from Trump’s tariffs, and $10 billion for voting law changes tied to the SAVE America Act — including proof-of-citizenship requirements that Trump has made a centerpiece of his agenda.
“No matter how you feel about current events, these funds are necessary to ensure our fighting forces remain ready, our troops are paid and our nation is safe,” said Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama, the Republican chairman of the House Armed Services Committee.
Republicans are using the budget reconciliation process to advance the measure, a procedural tool that allows legislation to pass with a simple majority vote in Congress — bypassing the Senate’s filibuster rules that could otherwise block or delay it.
This marks the third time GOP leaders have turned to reconciliation under the current strategy, which they are calling version 3.0. If the Senate takes up the budget resolution, it would face a round-the-clock amendment session — a politically uncomfortable prospect for senators heading into an election year.
The measure was opposed by Rep. Kevin Kiley of California, a former Republican now serving as an independent, along with Republicans Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Rep. Warren Davidson of Ohio.
Once the budget resolution passes, individual congressional committees would be tasked with drafting the actual legislation. Johnson is hoping that work can be completed this summer, with a final vote on the full package expected after lawmakers return from the August recess.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune has not committed to supporting the House version. The package is also creating fault lines in the Senate’s Republican majority, with some GOP senators pushing for greater military funding and others insisting that any new spending be offset by cuts elsewhere.
