House Republicans adopt $95 billion package for the Iran war and Trump's
priorities
[July 23, 2026]
By LISA MASCARO
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House adopted a Republican-only $95 billion budget
proposal Wednesday, a long-shot effort to fund the Iran war and other
White House priorities over objections from Democrats and a few GOP
holdouts in a final push before the midterm elections.
House Republicans were divided over the plan, with conservatives wary
because there are no offsetting budget cuts. But Speaker Mike Johnson
plunged ahead, viewing the go-it-alone process as the best chance to
usher President Donald Trump's priorities through the split Congress,
despite skepticism in the Senate.
The vote tally was 216-214, with two Republicans and one independent
joining Democrats in opposition.
“Just bullets and bombs to finish the job,” said Rep. Jodey Arrington,
R-Texas, the chairman of the Budget Committee.
Democrats argued the money should be spent at home, particularly on
efforts to lower costs for 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, this week. “Think about what we could spend
with these resources instead.”
Congress is at a standstill over the U.S. war against Iran — unable to
stop Trump's military strikes, but not having authorized the use of
American military force — and politically torn over having to provide
billions of taxpayer dollars to pay for it. Most Americans disapprove of
Trump's Iran strategy, according to a recent AP-NORC poll.
The budget battle comes as Trump attended the dignified transfer of four
service members killed in the Middle East, bringing the military death
toll to 18. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told senators at a fiery
hearing this week that the Pentagon is running short of cash, despite a
massive $150 billion one-time allotment in last year's big budget bill.
Even as the House action advanced the resolution, Johnson’s strategy
faces uncertainty in the Senate.
The package has $60 billion for the Pentagon and $13 billion for other
national security needs, $12 billion for farmers struggling under
Trump’s tariffs and $10 billion for voting law changes aligned with the
SAVE America Act and proof-of-citizenship requirements that are Trump’s
top priority.
A once rare budget tool is now the norm in split Congress
Republicans are relying on the budget reconciliation process, which
enables approval on a majority vote in Congress, bypassing the Senate's
ability to filibuster the measure t o stall or kill it.
Once rare, the reconciliation process is now Johnson's preferred
strategy for pushing proposals through Congress. It's the way
Republicans approved Trump's big tax breaks and spending cuts bill last
summer and funded Homeland Security this year over Democrats' refusal to
fund Trump's mass deportation 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 Armed Services Committee.
But House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said, “Republicans have
literally ripped food from the mouths of hungry children, seniors and
veterans to sustain the Trump war machine.”
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Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., leaves the chamber as
members debate a series of measures including a continuing
resolution to fund the government and a spending package for the
Iran war, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, July 21, 2026. (AP
Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Among those opposed was Rep. Kevin Kiley of California, a former
Republican turned independent, who said he felt any war funding bill
should be bipartisan. He also wanted to ensure Congress had a “much
higher level of involvement” in bringing the war to an end, and he said
this proposal did not set that process in motion.
Republicans Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Rep. Warren Davidson of
Ohio also voted against.
This is the third time GOP leaders have relied on reconciliation,
dubbing this version 3.0, and it's a lengthy process. If the House
approves the budget resolution, it next goes to the Senate for a
round-the-clock session to consider politically tough amendments —
something senators would rather avoid in an election year.
The budget resolution sets out instructions for the various committees
to draft legislation, which Johnson hopes could be done this summer,
with final voting on the package once lawmakers return after the August
recess.
Senators pan House's budget and have their own ideas
Senate Majority Leader John Thune has been noncommittal on the House
package that also divides his own GOP majority, with some Republican
senators preferring more money for the military and others demanding the
costs be offset with cuts elsewhere.
“We’ll see,” Thune said this week.
Thune's focus, at the moment, is avoiding another government shutdown.
He wants the Senate to approve a stopgap funding measure, called a
continuing resolution, to provide routine government funding before
lawmakers leave for the summer break.
If senators are unable to reach agreement on government funding, Thune
has said he may hold onto the House's budget resolution and use it later
in the fall as a way to push the resolution through the Senate over
objections. He wants to prevent a federal shutdown when current funds
expire, Sept. 30.
“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.”
Thune has also clashed with Trump over the president's push for the SAVE
America Act, which would require proof of citizenship for voting. The
measure, while popular among Trump's most ardent supporters, does not
have enough support among Senate Republicans for passage.
It's already against the law for noncitizens to vote in federal
elections and experts warn the proposed new rules could make it more
difficult for eligible Americans to cast ballots.
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