A vote on a budget resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives on July 22, 2026 is leading to a confrontation between Republican lawmakers in Congress over exactly how much money to allocate to the war in Iran. Pictured is the damaged B1 Bridge, one day after it was destroyed by an airstrike, west of Tehran in Karaj, Iran, on April 3, 2026. (Photo by Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON – Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives approved their draft of the third budget measure of the second Trump administration on Wednesday, but they cannot begin work on the package until they agree on a plan for the future with their Senate colleagues.
The 216-214 votes over a budget resolution is leading to a standoff among Republican lawmakers in Congress over exactly how much money to allocate to the Iran war and farm aid, and whether lawmakers should pay for it through spending cuts elsewhere.
Republicans in the House of Representatives proposed a total of $95 billion in spending during their election campaign Budget resolution. Instructions in this bill would allow four committees to eventually draft bills that would spend up to $60 billion on the military, $13 billion on intelligence, $12 billion on agricultural aid and $10 billion on some type of grant program for states that implement voter ID laws.
However, work on this package cannot begin until Republicans in both chambers vote to pass the same budget resolution with identical reconciliation instructions.
For the third time
House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, said during floor debate that the GOP has twice used the reconciliation process to achieve policy goals that would not gain Democratic support.
The first time was last year when Congress passed the “big, beautiful” law. The second case occurred earlier this year, when lawmakers approved three years of funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol without recent restrictions on federal officers. Both were signed into law by President Donald Trump.
“Here we are, Reconciliation 3.0, supporting our troops in times of need,” Arrington said. “Just basic battlefield preparedness. Bullets and bombs to get the job done.”
The yet-to-be-written reconciliation package, he added, would also likely “strengthen our food supply” and “protect the integrity of our elections.”
Pennsylvania Democratic Rep. Brendan Boyle, the panel’s ranking member, said Republican support for the two previous packages and this budget proposal shows they are not focused on lowering costs for Americans.
Boyle also questioned whether GOP candidates’ campaign promises to reduce the annual federal deficit were real, as this and previous partisan legislation would have a significant impact on the national debt.
“Yes, that’s right, the same crowd that loves to cry crocodile tears over deficit and debt when there’s a president in the White House who’s a Democrat – in total, they’ve now increased our national debt by $5 trillion, more than in any other 18-month period in the history of Congress,” he said. “And they’re about to add another $100 billion.”
Senate GOP not on board
Senate Republicans don’t entirely agree with the spending levels proposed by their House colleagues. Some want significantly more defense spending, others are looking for ways to offset costs.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said during a news conference Tuesday afternoon that he is unlikely to introduce a budget resolution until lawmakers find a way to fund the government before the Oct. 1 shutdown deadline.
Congress’s budget resolution is merely a blueprint, similar to the blueprint for building a house. It is not a bill that will never be presented to the President for his signature.
Lawmakers operate an entirely separate process to fund the government through a dozen annual budget bills.
But since lawmakers are far from completing that task before the start of the recent fiscal year, they will need to agree to some sort of short-term spending bill to prevent another gridlock this fall.
The house this week passed a stopgap bill that would extend that deadline to Dec. 4, but it lacks the support needed to advance in the Senate, where leaders of both political parties are working toward a bipartisan compromise.
Thune said he expects the Senate to vote on his stopgap bill before it goes into August recess, which could delay work on a budget resolution until the chamber returns in mid-September.
“It is possible that this will be postponed until September,” he said.
That could create a significant time crunch for Republicans as they seek to operate the elaborate budget reconciliation process to pass their bipartisan defense and farm aid spending package before the November midterm elections.
There are only three weeks in September when both chambers are scheduled to meet before MPs head off for their five-week October break.
And while the House of Representatives can approve the budget resolution and a possible partisan package without considering a single amendment, the process in the Senate is much more complex.
The Senate is holding open-ended amendment debate on both measures, giving Democrats in that chamber dozens of opportunities to challenge Republicans on spending and policy decisions.
That’s not necessarily an ideal scenario for Republican Senate leaders, who are hoping voters will allow the party to keep its slim majority for two more years.
Shauneen Miranda contributed to this report.
