WASHINGTON — House Republicans on Wednesday rolled out a sweeping $95 billion budget resolution aimed at boosting military funding, supporting struggling farmers, and overhauling voter registration laws — building on the major tax and spending legislation President Donald Trump signed into law last year.
The 47-page document, known as a budget resolution, is considered an uphill effort intended to funnel more money to the Pentagon following the Iran war and advance Trump’s push to change how Americans register to vote. An earlier, broader version of the proposal was scaled back after conservatives raised concerns about its cost and its potential impact on the national deficit. Notably, the resolution does not include any provisions to offset the new spending it would authorize.
Under the resolution, the Armed Services Committee would be directed to write legislation adding no more than $60 billion to the deficit; the Select Committee on Intelligence would be allocated $13 billion; the Agriculture Committee, $12 billion; and the House Administration Committee, $10 billion. That last allocation would be used to push through an election law change requiring people to show proof of citizenship when registering to vote.
For the resolution to move forward and trigger the bill-writing process, both the House and Senate must approve identical versions of it. The timeline could stretch well into the fall, with much of the work expected to happen after Congress returns from its August recess — right in the middle of election season. Republicans would need to go it alone, as Democrats are widely expected to oppose the final product and could force difficult procedural votes along the way.
Despite the challenges, House Speaker Mike Johnson expressed confidence in the plan moving forward.
“Congressional Democrats continue OBSTRUCTING our attempts to secure our elections and fund our men and women in uniform,” Johnson said in a written statement. “Not any longer.”
Johnson praised Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington and the rest of the panel for acting quickly to advance the resolution, which would become Republicans’ third use of the reconciliation process this Congress. The committee is set to take up the resolution Thursday, with a full House vote expected next week before members head home to their districts for a five-week recess.
Trump has repeatedly pushed Republicans to pass the SAVE Act, an elections overhaul bill that has already cleared the House but lacks the 60 votes needed to advance in the Senate. Republicans are now attempting to move key parts of that legislation through the reconciliation process, which allows bills to pass both chambers with only a simple majority.
The package also responds to a request Trump made to Congress last month to replenish Pentagon resources spent during the Iran war. Trump originally asked for $67 billion for that purpose.
Farm aid included in the resolution addresses the financial strain many agricultural producers are facing due to rising fuel and fertilizer costs, as well as retaliatory tariffs. For lawmakers representing large rural areas, securing that relief has become a key priority heading into an election year.
