On July 22, 2026, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a budget plan by a vote of 216-214. The plan starts the process of putting together a $95 billion package that would pay for military operations against Iran and send aid to farmers The Guardian.

Here is how the money breaks down. The plan tells the House Armed Services Committee to propose $60 billion and the House Intelligence Committee to propose $13 billion. That combined $73 billion is expected to go toward military operations against Iran. The House Agriculture Committee gets $12 billion for farmer aid. The House Administration Committee is authorized to propose $10 billion, likely to pass something called the Save America Act The Guardian.

The Save America Act would ban mail-in ballots across the country and require stricter ID for voters casting ballots or registering to vote The Guardian.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said the goal was to pass the Save America Act into law and get 'as much of that as possible.' House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries called the budget proposal a 'reckless and costly war of choice' The Guardian.

Two Republicans, Warren Davidson of Ohio and Thomas Massie of Kentucky, joined all Democrats in voting against the plan. Kevin Kiley, an independent from California who usually sides with Republicans, also voted against it The Guardian.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told the Senate on July 21, 2026 that the Iran conflict had cost $37.5 billion so far. The Trump administration asked Congress around June 25, 2026 to approve about $88 billion in extra funding, with up to $67.1 billion going to the war with Iran The Guardian.

This is the third time Republicans have tried this approach during Trump's second term. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, passed in 2025, was the first. In June 2026, the GOP approved a bill funding agencies involved in Trump's mass deportation campaign through the end of his term. A House Budget Committee session on June 12, 2026 referenced 'Reconciliation 3.0,' matching this third attempt The Guardian.

The budget plan is labeled S.Con.Res. 33 for FY2026 and includes its reconciliation instructions in Title II Congress.gov. The House Budget Committee held a recorded session on April 15, 2026 at 4:47 a.m. related to the plan. H.Con.Res. 14 was the budget resolution that directed the 2025 reconciliation bill H.R.1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. On March 30, 2026, the House Budget Committee published a press release titled 'Chairman Arrington on FOX News: Reconciliation is the Tool We Need to Make America Safe Again' Congress.gov.

To understand why this matters, it helps to know what 'reconciliation' means. Normally, most bills in the Senate need 60 votes to pass, because of a rule called the filibuster, which lets a minority block legislation. Reconciliation is a special process that lets the Senate pass certain budget-related bills with just a simple majority of 51 votes. The catch is that only things directly affecting spending, revenue, or the debt limit can go into a reconciliation bill.

The broader context here is a single bill that bundles together three very different things: wartime spending, agricultural relief, and election-law changes. The $73 billion for military operations against Iran is more than the $67.1 billion the Trump administration asked for in June, and it comes on top of the $37.5 billion Hegseth said has already been spent. The $12 billion for farmers and $10 billion for the House Administration Committee round out the package, all designed to pass the Senate with just 51 votes instead of 60.

The election-law changes face the biggest obstacle. A Senate rule called the Byrd Rule says reconciliation bills can only contain provisions that directly change spending or revenue. Banning mail-in ballots and imposing voter ID requirements are policy changes, not spending changes, so the Senate Parliamentarian (an official who advises on Senate rules) is likely to strip them out. Speaker Johnson's comment about passing 'as much of that as possible' suggests he knows the election provisions may not survive.

The vote itself was as close as it gets. All Democrats voted against it, and three GOP-aligned members broke ranks, leaving Republican leadership with only two votes to spare. Davidson and Massie are fiscal conservatives who have questioned spending in the past, so their opposition suggests the price tag caused friction within the party. Kiley's independent status makes future vote-counting harder for leadership. The Senate will now write its own version, where the election-law provisions and the final dollar amounts will be decided.