US Republicans unveil US$95 billion pre-election spending push

WASHINGTON: US House Republicans unveiled a US$95 billion spending framework on Wednesday (Jul 15), launching their final major push to pass defence, farm and voting restriction measures before midterm elections that could cost them control of Congress.

The plan would provide US$73 billion for the military and intelligence agencies, including funding tied to the war with Iran, along with US$12 billion in aid for farmers hurt by President Donald Trump’s trade war.

It would also direct US$10 billion toward election-related grants, as Republicans try to revive parts of Trump’s SAVE America Act, a voting restrictions bill that would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and photo identification at polling places.

The House has passed a different version of the SAVE Act separately, but it has stalled in the Senate, where some Republicans have warned that it lacks support and may not qualify for the fast-track budget process party leaders hope to use.

That process allows certain tax and spending bills to pass the 100-member Senate by a simple majority, avoiding the higher, 60-vote threshold usually needed to overcome Democratic opposition.

The budget resolution released Wednesday is only a framework. If adopted by the House and Senate, it would allow Republicans to assemble a fuller bill later this summer and try to pass it without Democratic votes.

House Republican leaders want to pass the framework next week before lawmakers leave Washington for a long summer break, leaving only a narrow window to complete the package before November.

But the plan faces resistance from fiscal conservatives inside the party because it does not pair the new spending with cuts elsewhere.

Representative Warren Davidson, a Republican fiscal hawk, has warned that the package could not advance without savings to offset the cost.

After the framework was released, Davidson posted a blunt prediction on X: “DOA,” shorthand for “dead on arrival”.

The fight underscores the competing pressures on Republicans as they try to show voters action on national security, agriculture and election security while also maintaining their claim to fiscal discipline.

Trump had demanded far more defence spending than the House framework provides, but Republican leaders are trying to balance White House pressure with concerns from lawmakers wary of adding to the deficit.