House advances $95 billion Iran war funding plan

House Republicans pushed forward a $95 billion budget blueprint Wednesday to fund the war with Iran, provide aid to farmers and try to enact parts of President Trump’s voting restrictions bill, setting up a Senate fight over both war spending and election rules.

The House approved the resolution 216-214, with all Democrats and two Republicans voting against it, CBS News reported. The Guardian reported that Warren Davidson of Ohio and Thomas Massie of Kentucky, both Republicans, as well as Kevin Kiley, described by the outlet as an independent from California, joined Democrats in opposition.

The vote is only the first step in the reconciliation process, a procedure Republicans are using to bypass Democratic resistance in the Senate and pass legislation with a simple majority. The Senate must still approve the resolution before House committees can write the spending package, and any final bill would have to clear both chambers.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, called the plan the GOP’s “best shot” at enacting the SAVE America Act, the Trump-backed voting measure. He told reporters Tuesday the goal was to pass “as much of that as possible.”

“As always, Republicans support our troops, our farmers and election integrity and we will demonstrate that again this week,” Johnson said.

The resolution directs the House Armed Services Committee to draft up to $60 billion in spending and the House Intelligence Committee to write up to $13 billion more. The Guardian reported that the combined $73 billion is expected to support military operations against Iran. The House Agriculture Committee was given a $12 billion limit for spending changes, expected to be used for aid to farmers affected by the global effects of the Iran conflict and Trump’s tariff policies, according to The Guardian. The House Administration Committee received a $10 billion cap tied to the SAVE America Act.

The vote came as the conflict with Iran intensifies. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told the Senate on Tuesday that the war has cost $37.5 billion so far, The Guardian reported. The Trump administration last month asked Congress to authorize about $88 billion in supplemental funding, most of it — up to $67.1 billion — for the war.

The SAVE America Act provisions face an uncertain future in the Senate. The measure would impose stricter voting rules, including proof of citizenship to register to vote and photo identification to cast a ballot, according to CBS News. The Guardian reported that it would also ban mail-in ballots nationwide. But reconciliation rules generally limit bills to matters involving spending, revenue and the debt limit, raising the possibility that the voting policy changes could be stripped out.

The Iran funding could also meet resistance from some Senate Republicans. CBS News reported that a handful of GOP senators have voted in recent months to limit Trump’s actions on Iran as the war continues without congressional authorization.

Democrats sharply criticized the package. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said before the vote that “President Trump and Republicans in this House continue to act indifferent to the economic wellbeing of the American people and to actively do things that are hurting everyday Americans financially, like this reckless and costly war of choice.” He added: “Republican extremists apparently have money for wars, but can’t feed the poor.”

Some conservatives also objected because the plan does not include spending offsets. “I think the problem is there’s no plan to pay for it,” Davidson said last week before House Republicans met with Vice President JD Vance, who came to the Capitol to rally support. “A no-offset plan is dead on arrival.”

Trump urged House Republicans on Monday to unite behind the resolution and “fight” for the SAVE America Act. Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought met with House Republicans on Tuesday as the administration worked to secure passage.

The Senate timeline remains unclear. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Tuesday he would “hold” the measure in case negotiations with Democrats over government funding collapse before the Sept. 30 deadline, potentially allowing Republicans to repurpose it for a stopgap funding bill. “I hope that’s not necessary,” he said.