Trump Demands $350 Billion Pentagon Boost and SAVE Act in 3rd GOP Reconciliation Bill
Updated
Updated · POLITICO · Jun 11
Trump Demands $350 Billion Pentagon Boost and SAVE Act in 3rd GOP Reconciliation Bill
3 articles · Updated · POLITICO · Jun 11
Summary
Trump told Republicans to move “IMMEDIATELY” on a third reconciliation bill, demanding $350 billion in new Pentagon spending and Senate passage of the stalled SAVE America Act.
The push relies on budget reconciliation to bypass a Democratic filibuster, but GOP leaders face only a handful of workweeks before the November midterms and little agreement on what the package can carry.
Senate appropriators Susan Collins and Mitch McConnell have already cast another party-line bill as unrealistic, while the SAVE Act is seen as largely incompatible with reconciliation’s strict fiscal rules.
House and Senate leaders would also need to placate fiscal hawks seeking offsets for the defense money, potentially forcing safety-net cuts that vulnerable Republicans may resist close to Election Day.
The demand comes a day after Trump signed a $70 billion immigration enforcement reconciliation bill, underscoring Republicans’ growing use of party-line packages even as broader governing deadlines loom.