President Donald Trump is demanding Senate Republicans approve the House’s $95 billion budget resolution before Congress leaves for August recess — setting up a showdown with Majority Leader John Thune over the party’s third reconciliation bill this year.
After the House passed the party-line budget blueprint Friday, Trump congratulated Republican leadership and immediately turned up the heat on the Senate.
“This will be one of the most consequential Bills in America’s History. Strengthening our powerful Military, providing aid for our Farmers and, most importantly, as much of THE SAVE AMERICA ACT as possible. Our Voters will be extremely happy – And even impressed!”
Trump posted the message Friday on social media, then added a direct challenge to Senate Republicans.
“I am asking that the Senate adopt a Budget Resolution, which can pass with a simple Majority, before leaving for the August recess. We are ready to work side-by-side with the Senate to get this done for the American People!”
But Thune has shown little enthusiasm for expediting the vote — partially because some Republican senators have already balked at passing a third unpaid-for reconciliation bill in one year.
The $95 billion resolution instructs congressional committees to craft a reconciliation bill allocating $73 billion for defense spending, $12 billion for farm assistance, and $10 billion to incentivize states to implement Trump’s SAVE America Act voter ID policies.
Budget reconciliation bills can pass the Senate with a simple majority — bypassing the usual 60-vote threshold — but only if the content is restricted to debt and deficit-related policies.
That means Republicans cannot fully incorporate the SAVE America Act, which mandates proof-of-citizenship requirements for federal election voter registration and removal of noncitizens from voter rolls.
The $10 billion earmark would instead create a federal fund incentivizing states to enforce stricter election security measures on their own.
If the Senate doesn’t vote before the August break, the chances of a third reconciliation bill materializing are slim.
Congress currently faces a backlog of critical legislative priorities, including reauthorizing spending on transportation infrastructure, the Pentagon, and federal farm programs — plus renewing FISA Section 702 surveillance authority and funding the entire federal government for fiscal year 2027, which begins October 1.
Trump’s public pressure campaign puts Thune in a bind: defy the president and risk conservative backlash, or rush a vote that could fracture the Republican caucus before a month-long recess.
