House GOP Defies Democrats, Advances Filibuster-Proof War Funding and SAVE Act Election Reforms

The vote on the reconciliation package was preliminary, but it demonstrated the ability to get the package over the finish line with a vote of the full chamber. The vote was 216-214 (Sortor).

What Is John Thune Doing?

New York Times: The defense bill will provide filibuster-proof funding for defense—especially critical as there is a potential of Republicans losing control of one or both chambers. New York Times: House Republicans on Wednesday won narrow approval of their $95 billion budget plan to fund the war with Iran and impose new election restrictions President Trump has demanded, muscling through dissent in their ranks to send the measure to a skeptical Senate. The blueprint would pave the way for filibuster-proof legislation known as a reconciliation bill that would bypass Democratic opposition and provide up to $73 billion in additional military fundings.

Wall Street Journal makes an important point: In a saner Washington, a bill to keep America’s military in fuel during combat would pass with unanimous consent. But Democrats are willing to cut off the troops even as U.S. forces strike Iran almost nightly. The clerics in Iran understand that U.S. Congressional dysfunction is one of their wartime assets.

Portions of SAVE America Act Included in Reconciliation Package

Fox News: House Republicans are working to move the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act as part of a larger $95 billion budget bill that, if successful, would completely sideline Democrats to implement election reforms sought by President Donald Trump. They’re using a mechanism called budget reconciliation, which allows the party in power to pass sweeping fiscal policy by lowering the Senate’s threshold for advancement from 60 votes to a simple majority. In exchange, however, the legislation is subject to intense scrutiny under a strict set of guidelines about what actually counts as true fiscal policy. The bill up for consideration on Wednesday was just the first House-wide step in passing a reconciliation package, which is adopting a framework with spending instructions for relevant committees who will then cobble individual portions together into a massive piece of legislation. Both the House and Senate must pass identical versions before it goes to the president’s desk. All but three members of the House Republican Conference supported the measure: Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, and Kevin Kiley, I-Calif., voted against it…. Trump posted on Truth Social on Tuesday, “Thank you to all of the House Republicans who are supporting the first step towards getting as much of THE SAVE AMERICA ACT, as possible, in the Budget Bill, and to our Great Speaker, Mike Johnson. I am asking all House Republicans to VOTE YES on this very important Budget Resolution.

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