US House Republicans have unveiled a $95 billion spending framework, marking a final legislative push to advance defence, agriculture and election-related measures before the US midterm elections that could determine control of Congress.
The proposal allocates $73 billion to the military and intelligence agencies, including funding linked to the conflict with Iran. It also sets aside $12 billion to support American farmers affected by President Donald Trump’s trade policies.
Another $10 billion would be directed towards election-related grants as Republicans seek to revive key provisions of Trump’s SAVE America Act. The proposed voting measure would require proof of US citizenship to register to vote and photo identification at polling stations.
Although the House previously passed a separate version of the SAVE Act, it has stalled in the Senate, where some Republican lawmakers have questioned whether it has sufficient support or qualifies for the budget reconciliation process.
That process would allow Republicans to pass certain tax and spending legislation in the Senate with a simple majority instead of the usual 60 votes needed to overcome Democratic opposition.
The spending framework released on Wednesday is not final legislation. If approved by both the House and Senate, it would allow Republicans to draft a more comprehensive bill later this summer and potentially pass it without Democratic backing.
House Republican leaders are aiming to approve the framework next week before lawmakers begin their summer recess, leaving limited time to complete the legislation before the November elections.
However, the proposal is already facing opposition from fiscal conservatives within the Republican Party, who argue that the new spending should be matched by equivalent budget cuts.
Representative Warren Davidson, a leading fiscal conservative, warned that the package would struggle to gain support without measures to offset its cost. Shortly after the framework was released, he posted a one-word response on X: “DOA” — meaning “dead on arrival.”
The disagreement highlights the challenge facing Republicans as they seek to demonstrate progress on national security, agriculture and election security while maintaining their commitment to reducing government spending.
President Trump had called for significantly higher defence spending than the framework proposes, but House Republican leaders are attempting to balance White House demands with concerns from lawmakers worried about increasing the federal deficit.
