House and Senate Republicans clash over budget, voting bill and Iran war funding

Congressional Republicans are divided over how to spend the rest of a midterm election year, with the House and Senate at odds over defense spending tied to the Iran war, election law changes and Senate rules. The House passed a party-line budget plan allocating more than $70 billion to defense and intelligence spending, including money to replenish weapons used in the Iran war, plus billions for farm assistance.

The House plan also sets aside about $10 billion for election-related purposes that Speaker Mike Johnson and the White House say could fund state grants to implement parts of the SAVE America Act, which would restrict mail-in voting and require photo ID and proof of citizenship to vote. Senate Republicans have shown far less enthusiasm for the approach, with some senators saying the defense funding is insufficient and others, including a retiring senator from North Carolina, opposing inclusion of the SAVE Act as too complex to implement before the midterms.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune has said the chamber is not currently close to the 50 votes needed to pass the budget bill through reconciliation, warning it could disrupt the work of numerous committees and force vulnerable Republicans into difficult votes. White House budget officials met with Senate Republicans to try to resolve differences, but lawmakers emerged with unresolved questions. Both chambers are set to be out of session for much of August and October, leaving only weeks before the November elections to reach agreement.

Read the full story at USA Today.