{"id":8196,"date":"2026-07-17T02:17:44","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T21:17:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=8196"},"modified":"2026-07-17T02:17:44","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T21:17:44","slug":"speaker-johnsons-latest-challenge-funding-trumps-war-in-iran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=8196","title":{"rendered":"Speaker Johnson&#8217;s latest challenge: Funding Trump&#8217;s war in Iran"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div xmlns:default=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" data-testid=\"prism-article-body\">\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao MvWXB TjIXL aGjvy ebVHC \">As President Donald Trump tells Congress that he&#8217;s reigniting military action in Iran, Speaker Mike Johnson is striving to advance legislation to pay for the president&#8217;s 138-day war &#8212; taking a procedural track that will rely strictly on GOP votes given overwhelming Democratic opposition to the conflict.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">But with a razor-thin majority coupled with early signals of dissatisfaction and consternation throughout the House Republican Conference, Reconciliation 3.0 &#8212; Republicans&#8217; third reconciliation bill this Congress &#8212; could challenge Johnson&#8217;s majority like never before or claim an important GOP victory before the midterm elections this fall.<\/p>\n<div class=\"oLzSq QrHMO fnRUo pvsTF EhJPu vPlOC zNYgW OsTsW RMeqy daRVX ISNQ sKyCY eRftA acPPc MENS nFwaT MCnQE mEeeY SmBjI xegrY rPLsU iulOd NIuqO zzscu lzDCc aHUBM IEgzD OjMNy eQqcx SVqKB GQmdz jaoD VWDdR ONJdw vrZxD OnRTz gbbfF roDbV GPGwb oMlSS gfNzt oJhud eXZcf zhVlX \">\n<div>\n<div class=\"InlineImage GpQCA lZur asrEW \" data-testid=\"prism-inline-image\">\n<figure class=\"kzIjN GNmeK pYrtp dSqFO \" data-testid=\"prism-figure\">\n<div class=\"GpQCA lZur gIjeL \" data-testid=\"prism-ratio-frame\">\n<div class=\"FvQLF iLTd NqeUA UzzHi iWsMV \"><picture data-testid=\"prism-picture\"><source media=\"(max-width: 414px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/4ec1226c-b48a-482f-b278-537533976494\/vance-johnson-1-gty-gmh-260716_1784227745500_hpMain.jpg?w=375, https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/4ec1226c-b48a-482f-b278-537533976494\/vance-johnson-1-gty-gmh-260716_1784227745500_hpMain.jpg?w=750 2x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 415px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/4ec1226c-b48a-482f-b278-537533976494\/vance-johnson-1-gty-gmh-260716_1784227745500_hpMain.jpg?w=750, https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/4ec1226c-b48a-482f-b278-537533976494\/vance-johnson-1-gty-gmh-260716_1784227745500_hpMain.jpg?w=1500 2x\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"hsDdd NDJZt sJeUN IJwXl vBqtr KrDt itslR SjwtZ hakZw HlUVI \" data-testid=\"prism-image\" draggable=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/4ec1226c-b48a-482f-b278-537533976494\/vance-johnson-1-gty-gmh-260716_1784227745500_hpMain.jpg\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption>\n<div class=\"nMMea bNYiy Mjgpa dGwha DDmxa jgKNG RGHCC aBIU PriDW aiQHS lZur \" data-testid=\"prism-caption\">\n<p><span class=\"hsDdd OOSI GpQCA lZur VlFaz \" data-testid=\"prism-truncate\"><span><span class=\"gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ \">House Speaker Mike Johnson and Vice President JD Vance shake hands following a meeting with House Republicans at the US Capitol in Washington, July 15, 2026.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ YNujN JGtjI aZFDu rkKLh \">Graeme Sloan\/Bloomberg via Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \"><strong class=\"vtkaO \">What&#8217;s budget reconciliation?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">On Thursday, the House Budget Committee voted 20-14 on party-lines to advance the GOP budget resolution &#8212; Johnson called the &#8220;SAVE and Protect Act&#8221; &#8212; for Reconciliation 3.0, marking the first hurdle in the lengthy legislative process. The resolution now heads to the House floor.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Budget reconciliation is a legislative tool that enables Congress to pass partisan and even controversial bills that address issues such as taxes, mandatory spending and the debt limit by reducing the 60-vote threshold required for passage in the Senate to a simple majority. It\u2019s typically used when one party has unified control of the House, Senate and White House &#8212; as Republicans are positioned now &#8212; and doesn\u2019t require bipartisan cooperation across the aisle.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \"><strong class=\"vtkaO \">What&#8217;s the plan?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">House GOP leaders unveiled a budget blueprint on Wednesday for Reconciliation 3.0, calling for a $95 billion package to provide funding for defense and intelligence, farm aid and components of the elections overhaul effort, the SAVE America Act &#8212; directing four committees to draft pieces of legislation that ultimately would be wrapped into one bill.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">The blueprint would allow for up to $60 billion for military funding and up to $13 billion for intelligence costs &#8212; totaling $73 billion to cover the Iran war as the Pentagon warns it&#8217;s running out of money to conduct operations there. The plan also includes a long-shot bid to pass components of the SAVE America Act alongside $12 billion in aid for farmers. It did not instruct committees to come up with offsets to the cost of new spending.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">The House is racing toward its final legislative week ahead of the five-week summer recess &#8212; so GOP leaders are aiming at holding a vote on the budget resolution next week.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \"><strong class=\"vtkaO \">Speaker already facing backlash<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Despite the full-steam-ahead approach from leadership, some House Republicans are expressing trepidation about the budget plan &#8212; largely because it does not include spending cuts or pay-fors &#8212; or corresponding<!-- -->\u00a0<!-- -->savings<!-- -->\u00a0<!-- -->to offset new spending.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">&#8220;I think that a no-offset plan is dead on arrival,&#8221; Republican Rep. Warren Davidson said. &#8220;Frankly, three of us would kill it, and so I think that&#8217;s likely at this point.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Johnson can only afford to lose three GOP defections if all members are voting and present before his majority is upended.<\/p>\n<div class=\"oLzSq QrHMO fnRUo pvsTF EhJPu vPlOC zNYgW OsTsW RMeqy daRVX ISNQ sKyCY eRftA acPPc MENS nFwaT MCnQE mEeeY SmBjI xegrY rPLsU iulOd NIuqO zzscu lzDCc aHUBM IEgzD OjMNy eQqcx SVqKB GQmdz jaoD VWDdR ONJdw vrZxD OnRTz gbbfF roDbV GPGwb oMlSS gfNzt oJhud eXZcf zhVlX \">\n<div>\n<div class=\"InlineImage GpQCA lZur asrEW \" data-testid=\"prism-inline-image\">\n<figure class=\"kzIjN GNmeK pYrtp dSqFO \" data-testid=\"prism-figure\">\n<div class=\"GpQCA lZur gIjeL \" data-testid=\"prism-ratio-frame\">\n<div class=\"FvQLF iLTd NqeUA UzzHi iWsMV \"><picture data-testid=\"prism-picture\"><source media=\"(max-width: 414px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/b889e396-2ae6-44a1-b62b-bb782e57d865\/vance-johnson-2-gty-gmh-260716_1784227745926_hpMain.jpg?w=375, https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/b889e396-2ae6-44a1-b62b-bb782e57d865\/vance-johnson-2-gty-gmh-260716_1784227745926_hpMain.jpg?w=750 2x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 415px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/b889e396-2ae6-44a1-b62b-bb782e57d865\/vance-johnson-2-gty-gmh-260716_1784227745926_hpMain.jpg?w=750, https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/b889e396-2ae6-44a1-b62b-bb782e57d865\/vance-johnson-2-gty-gmh-260716_1784227745926_hpMain.jpg?w=1500 2x\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"hsDdd NDJZt sJeUN IJwXl vBqtr KrDt itslR SjwtZ hakZw HlUVI \" data-testid=\"prism-image\" draggable=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/b889e396-2ae6-44a1-b62b-bb782e57d865\/vance-johnson-2-gty-gmh-260716_1784227745926_hpMain.jpg\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption>\n<div class=\"nMMea bNYiy Mjgpa dGwha DDmxa jgKNG RGHCC aBIU PriDW aiQHS lZur \" data-testid=\"prism-caption\">\n<p><span class=\"hsDdd OOSI GpQCA lZur VlFaz \" data-testid=\"prism-truncate\"><span><span class=\"gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ \">House Speaker Mike Johnson and Vice President JD Vance speak to members of the media following a meeting with House Republicans at the US Capitol in Washington, July 15, 2026.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ YNujN JGtjI aZFDu rkKLh \">Graeme Sloan\/Bloomberg via Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Vice President JD Vance huddled behind closed doors on Wednesday to rally Republicans behind the emerging plan &#8212; hoping that including provisions on election integrity is enough to calm tensions in the GOP conference over the bill&#8217;s lack of pay-fors.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">&#8220;What we&#8217;re doing with this legislation is getting SAVE America through, and of course, getting some critical support to our troops and to our farmers,\u201d the vice president told reporters after the meeting. &#8220;We decided to do this because we thought this was the best vehicle to accomplish those three things.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">But Vance\u2019s efforts did little to calm holdouts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">&#8220;I think the problem is there&#8217;s no plan to pay for it, right?\u201d Davidson added. &#8220;If it&#8217;s a priority, then why isn&#8217;t it a priority for us to say how are we going to pay for it?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Another Budget Committee Republican, Rep. Lloyd Smucker, also says he wants to see budgetary offsets that correspond to new spending in the plan &#8212; though he acknowledged the importance of the spending proposed by Republican leaders.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">&#8220;I think there&#8217;s a lot of us that would [like offsets], but we also think the priorities there are important,&#8221; Smucker said.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">A senior House GOP leadership aide explained why the plan does not include offsetting deficit reduction or spending cuts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">&#8220;It\u2019s not necessarily a choice between this and nothing. It\u2019s a choice between this and, you know, theoretically an even larger un-offset spending package, but that said, I think all our members, even our biggest fiscal hawks, recognize the importance of providing this funding,&#8221; the leadership aide said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Independent Rep. Kevin Kiley, who conferences with Republicans and whose support is calculated in the GOP&#8217;s majority threshold, said he is &#8220;skeptical&#8221; of the budget plan because it cuts Democrats out of the process &#8212; one said he believes should be bipartisan.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">&#8220;It should really be done in a bipartisan way. So [I\u2019m] disappointed this is where things are at,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Republican Rep. Nancy Mace said in a social media post that the party should take Americans&#8217; &#8220;concerns seriously&#8221; or the &#8220;party will suffer the consequences.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">\u201c$95 billion in new deficit spending, no offsets, and not one provision to lower the cost of living,&#8221; Mace wrote. &#8220;American families are feeling the pain of rising costs. Their American dream is getting further out of reach.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \"><strong class=\"vtkaO \">What about the Senate?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Not only are there concerns in the House, but several Senate Republicans have already poured cold water on the plan.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">&#8220;If I see a reconciliation bill come from the House with another failed attempt to confuse this election, I will use every device I have available to slow down the wheels of government,&#8221; GOP Sen. Thom Tillis said, alluding<!-- -->\u00a0<!-- -->to the SAVE Act provisions favored by House Republicans that aim to address election integrity by incentivizing states to require citizenship to register to vote.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">The Senate needs to adopt the same House budget resolution to unlock the process.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC eTIW sUzSN \">&#8220;Our national debt is a runaway train. The next reconciliation bill should be fully paid for,&#8221; Sen. Bill Cassidy said in a post on X.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As President Donald Trump tells Congress that he&#8217;s reigniting military action in Iran, Speaker Mike Johnson is striving to advance legislation to pay for the president&#8217;s 138-day war &#8212; taking a procedural track that will rely strictly on GOP votes given overwhelming Democratic opposition to the conflict. But with a razor-thin majority coupled with early&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8197,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/4ec1226c-b48a-482f-b278-537533976494\/vance-johnson-1-gty-gmh-260716_1784227745500_hpMain_16x9.jpg?w=1600","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8196","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-abc-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8196","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8196"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8196\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8197"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8196"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8196"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8196"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}