$60 billion in Pentagon funding tied to the House reconciliation bill hit a roadblock after Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he would not advance it before the Senate finds a path on a broader fiscal-year funding measure.
Thune’s move undercut Speaker Mike Johnson’s plan to push the package before the House leaves Thursday for a five-week recess, sharply narrowing Republicans’ window to move White House priorities.
Senate Republicans also fear using reconciliation for a continuing resolution could trigger an unlimited amendment vote-a-rama at a simple-majority threshold, exposing vulnerable GOP senators to politically difficult votes.
The standoff extends to Trump’s SAVE Act voter-ID push, which Thune has repeatedly said lacks Senate support, widening tensions with House Republicans and highlighting a growing Johnson-Thune split.