House GOP advances $95 billion plan to fund Iran war and SAVE America Act

Washington — The House adopted a GOP-backed budget blueprint on Wednesday that would provide up to $95 billion in funding for the Iran war, aid to farmers and parts of President Trump’s voting regulations bill known as the SAVE America Act. 

The House adopted the budget resolution in a 216 to 214 vote, with all Democrats and two Republicans voting in opposition. 

It’s the latest effort by Republicans to enact Mr. Trump’s top priorities as the bipartisan appropriations process has broken down. Democrats remain vehemently opposed to continuing the war in Iran as well as strict new voting requirements championed by the president. 

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, called it the GOP’s “best shot” at enacting the SAVE America Act. 

Wednesday’s vote is just the first step in the party-line reconciliation process. The Senate also needs to approve of the resolution, which instructs the committees of jurisdiction to begin crafting the $95 billion reconciliation package. The package will then need to clear both chambers. Republicans chose the reconciliation route — which they’ve also used to pass tax cuts and immigration enforcement — because it allows them to overcome Democratic resistance in the Senate and approve the funding via a simple majority.  

The resolution directs the House Armed Services Committee and the House Intelligence Committee to write legislation that increases spending by up to $60 billion and $13 billion, respectively. The House Agriculture Committee received a $12 billion limit and the House Administration Committee was given a $10 billion cap. 

The plan faces major hurdles in the upper chamber, where the SAVE America Act has been stuck for months and lacks even a simple majority of support. It’s also unclear whether the voting regulation provisions — such as requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote and a photo ID to cast a ballot — will survive the Senate’s rules governing the reconciliation process, which prohibit the inclusion of non-budgetary policies. Funding for the Iran war could also run into pushback. A handful of GOP senators have voted in recent months to rein in Mr. Trump on Iran as the war continues without congressional authorization. 

The plan also does not include provisions to offset spending increases, which frustrated some conservatives in the House. 

“I think the problem is there’s no plan to pay for it,” GOP Rep. Warren Davidson of Ohio said last week ahead of House Republicans’ meeting with Vice President JD Vance, who came to the Capitol to rally members behind the plan. “A no-offset plan is dead on arrival.” 

On Monday, Mr. Trump called on House Republicans to unify behind the budget resolution and “fight” for the SAVE America Act. Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought met with House Republicans on Tuesday morning as the administration worked to get the resolution across the finish line.