Congress
Graham vows to plow ahead with reconciliation for defense, homeland funding
Sen. Lindsey Graham said Wednesday that his panel is moving “expeditiously” to unlock Senate Republicans’ ability to fund defense and homeland security priorities without Democrats’ help.
“The purpose of the second reconciliation bill is to make sure there is adequate funding to secure our homeland and to support our men and women in the military who are fighting so bravely,” Graham said in a statement. “More funding will mean they can complete the task assigned and keep America safe – which is money well spent.”
Graham added that a second reconciliation bill could also be used to “improve voter integrity,” a nod to Republicans’ plan to try to get parts of their election bill, known as the SAVE America Act, included to appease Trump.
The announcement came as some Republicans proposed this week using the budget reconciliation process, which allows a united majority to avoid the 60-vote filibuster threshold, to pass immigration enforcement funding Democrats oppose. It also comes as GOP leaders strategize over how to potentially pass a new slug of Pentagon funding as the war in Iran nears the one-month mark.
Graham’s comments Wednesday morning come after he met with Budget Committee Republicans Tuesday on what senators said afterward was a preliminary meeting to “touch gloves” about pursuing another reconciliation bill. Graham subsequently met with Senate Majority Leader John Thune to brief him on the closed-door discussion.
“Lindsey is moving down that path. And my expectation is if he does end up drafting a budget resolution it would be with a lot of input from members of the conference and something that I think we would be confident we could support on the floor,” Thune said.
The Senate needs to adopt a budget resolution before Senate Republicans can bring a filibuster-skirting policy bill to the floor. The budget resolution outlines which committees will have the drafting pen for the eventual bill and lays out broad fiscal targets the eventual bill will need to comply with.
Budget Committee Republicans discussed trying to get parts of the SAVE America Act, like incentivizing states to implement voter ID, and funding for ICE into a party line bill. Graham did not specify a timeline for when he will have a budget resolution ready.
Even as Graham is vowing to push forward, it’s still uncertain that congressional Republicans will actually be able to pass another reconciliation bill.
House Republican appropriators are publicly rebuking the Trump administration for seeking must-have military cash through a party-line reconciliation bill that’s not guaranteed to clear Congress.
In a report they plan to release later this week, obtained by Blue Light News, House appropriators warn that the White House is trying to fund “critical efforts” like weapons and military equipment through the party-line process, rather than using it to “scale up” military dollars beyond Congress’ regular government funding bills.
“This approach is risky and uncoordinated,” reads the report, an official addendum that goes along with the chamber’s defense funding bill for the fiscal year that starts in October.
In particular, appropriators criticized President Donald Trump’s budget request for splitting funding for the F-35 fighter, the most expensive program in Pentagon history, between the two bills.
The annual government funding bills and the reconciliation process are “entirely separate tracks, with different timelines, committees of jurisdiction, and approval processes,” the report notes.
Many Republican lawmakers are also doubtful GOP leaders will succeed in enacting another party-line package this year.
Jennifer Scholtes contributed to this report.
The House will begin consideration of a bipartisan housing bill Tuesday, with a final vote potentially taking place the same day, accelerating a previous plan to secure congressional passage of the legislation, according to four people familiar with the planning granted anonymity to discuss planning not yet public.
The Senate will hold a final vote on the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act Monday.
House leadership had planned to fast-track approval of the housing affordability bill by suspending the rules, a maneuver that limits debate but requires a two-thirds majority vote, as soon as Wednesday, but are looking to move that process a day earlier, the people said.
President Donald Trump is expected to hold a signing ceremony for the bill as soon as Wednesday, said two people familiar, involved with the planning conversations.
The housing bill aims to tackle housing affordability and boost homeownership and supply as the looming midterm election is dominated by cost-of-living concerns and Congress has a narrowing window to get legislation through before the August recess.
Meredith Lee Hill contributed to this report.
Alan Dershowitz is scheduled to speak with the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on July 20 as part of its ongoing Jeffery Epstein investigation.
“I asked to be allowed to set the record straight and correct various misconceptions,” Dershowitz said in a text message. “I look forward to doing so.”
The prominent criminal defense attorney who once represented O.J. Simpson and President Donald Trump also worked on Epstein’s 2008 plea deal, which many have argued allowed Epstein — who died by suicide behind bars in 2019 — to continue to prey on young women and girls for another several years before his later incarceration.
The Oversight Committee is separately set Friday to interview investor Leon Black, whose business dealings with Epstein have been under congressional scrutiny for years.
- House Republicans slam Trump’s ‘risky and uncoordinated’ military funding strategy
- House to accelerate housing bill consideration, final passage as soon as Tuesday
- Dershowitz to testify on Epstein ties
- Hegseth to brief House Republicans on White House goals for party-line package
- Monday’s Campaign Round-Up, 6.22.26: Why Trump backed both Republicans in a key S.C. race
- Trump tries dual endorsement in South Carolina as his pick for governor flounders in polls
- Fears of an ‘economic catastrophe’ helped push Trump toward an Iran deal
- In back-to-back reversals, the Trump administration folds under pressure
- Vance touts ‘successful’ first round of U.S.-Iran talks after Trump threatens new attacks
- Turek leads Hinson in Iowa Senate poll of likely general election voters
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