House GOP passes blueprint for reconciliation 3.0
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Speaker Mike Johnson enters the Capitol on July 20. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
House Republicans officially kicked off reconciliation 3.0 on Wednesday, narrowly approving a budget framework to unlock work on their planned $95 billion package.
Why it matters: The vote gets Republicans into the reconciliation process, but lawmakers in both chambers have signaled the package itself faces a difficult path to passage.
- Two Republicans — Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) — voted against the measure, along with all Democrats. GOPer- turned-Independent Rep. Kevin Kiley (Calif.) also voted against the measure, which passed 216-214.
- The package includes $73 billion in funding for the Iran war, $12 in farm aid and a $10 billion fund aimed at incentivizing states to adopt elements of the SAVE America Act.
- While the measure narrowly eked by, members remain uneasy about the lack of spending offsets, and disagreements persist over enforcement mechanisms for their signature election bill.
Driving the news: President Trump and administration officials ramped up pressure on House Republicans to support the budget resolution ahead of Wednesday's vote.
- "I am asking all House Republicans to VOTE YES this week on the Budget Resolution, which is an important first step towards getting a Budget Bill," Trump wrote Monday on Truth Social.
Between the lines: The proposed SAVE America Act provisions are already drawing criticism from some conservatives.
- Rather than including the full SAVE Act, the package proposes grants to encourage states to adopt voter ID requirements.
- "That's just free money for Florida," Rep. Randy Fine (R-Fla.) said of the grant program last week. Blue states "will never take the grant money. I'm not a big fan of carrots. I like sticks."
Yes, but: Senate Republicans have warned that including the full SAVE Act would likely fail to meet the parliamentary standard for reconciliation bills in the Senate known as the "Byrd bath."
What's next: Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) is cautioning that reconciliation 3.0 still faces a steep climb.
- Thune told reporters Tuesday that Senate Republicans will "hold" the budget reconciliation framework to use as a potential back-up plan to avoid a government shutdown at the end of September.
