WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Mike Johnson is moving forward Wednesday with a Republican-only $95 billion budget proposal — an ambitious effort to secure funding for the Iran war and other White House priorities despite strong Democratic opposition, ahead of the midterm elections.
The plan is generating friction within Republican ranks, as conservative members are uneasy about the absence of any offsetting budget cuts. Still, GOP leadership is pressing on, believing the go-it-alone approach gives them the best shot at advancing President Donald Trump’s agenda through a divided Congress, even as doubts linger in the Senate.
“Just bullets and bombs to finish the job,” said Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, chairman of the Budget Committee.
Democrats countered that the money would be better directed toward domestic needs, particularly efforts to reduce the financial burden on everyday Americans.
“Republicans plan to spend tens of billions of dollars on Trump’s failed war in Iran,” said Rep. Pete Aguilar of California, chairman of the House Democratic caucus. “Think about what we could spend with these resources instead.”
Congress remains at an impasse over the U.S. military conflict with Iran — unable to halt Trump’s airstrikes yet having never formally authorized the use of military force — and deeply divided over committing billions in taxpayer money to pay for it. A recent AP-NORC poll found that most Americans disapprove of Trump’s approach to Iran.
The budget fight is unfolding as Trump attended the dignified transfer of four service members killed in the Middle East, bringing the total military death toll to 18. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told senators at a contentious hearing this week that the Pentagon is running low on funds, despite 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 priorities, $12 billion to support farmers hit hard by Trump’s tariffs, and $10 billion for election law changes tied to the SAVE America Act, including proof of citizenship requirements — a top priority for Trump.
Republicans are using the budget reconciliation process to move the package forward. That procedure allows passage with a simple majority vote, bypassing the Senate filibuster that could otherwise stall or defeat the measure.
Once considered an unusual tactic, reconciliation has become Johnson’s go-to method for moving legislation through Congress. It was used to pass Trump’s sweeping tax and spending cuts bill last summer and to fund Homeland Security this year after Democrats refused to back Trump’s mass deportation efforts.
“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 Armed Services Committee.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries pushed back sharply, saying, “Republicans have literally ripped food from the mouths of hungry children, seniors and veterans to sustain the Trump war machine.”
This marks the third time GOP leaders have turned to reconciliation — which they are calling version 3.0 — and the road ahead is long. If the House passes the budget resolution, it moves to the Senate for a round-the-clock amendment session, a politically uncomfortable prospect for senators in an election year.
The budget resolution lays out instructions for committees to draft the actual legislation, which Johnson hopes to complete this summer, with a final vote expected after lawmakers return from the August recess.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune has not committed to supporting the House package, which is also creating divisions in his own Republican majority. Some GOP senators want more defense funding, while others insist any new spending must be paired with cuts elsewhere.
“We’ll see,” Thune said this week.
Thune’s immediate focus is preventing another government shutdown. He is pushing to pass a stopgap funding measure — known as a continuing resolution — before lawmakers head home for summer. If senators cannot agree on routine government funding, Thune has suggested he might hold the House’s budget resolution in reserve and use it in the fall to push spending through the Senate over objections.
“It’s a possibility that, if necessary, we could pull that budget resolution passed by the House and use it to fund government,” Thune said. “I hope that’s not necessary.” Current government funding expires September 30.
Thune has also been at odds with Trump over the SAVE America Act’s proof-of-citizenship voting requirement. Although the measure is popular with Trump’s core supporters, it does not currently have enough backing among Senate Republicans to pass.
Voting by noncitizens in federal elections is already illegal, and experts warn the proposed rules could make it harder for eligible U.S. citizens to vote. Estimates suggest roughly 9% of voting-age American citizens — approximately 21.3 million people — do not have citizenship documents readily accessible. Nearly half of all Americans do not hold a U.S. passport.
