The House Budget Committee advanced the Concurrent Resolution on the Budget for Fiscal Year 2027 last week, a wide-ranging package that includes provisions on federal spending, border security, energy and immigration.
The full House is expected to vote on the legislation this week, with language from the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act included. The budget bill’s advancement was hailed as a key legislative win for Republican members, as much of the bill is based on the Republican-backed Reconciliation 3.0.
Committee Chairman and Representative Jodey Arrington (R-TX) said all aspects of the bill are crucial, but most notably its voter-ID provisions
“Republicans are united and undeterred in our fight to restore America's greatness,” Arrington said. “We don't have a country if we can't defend it, and we don't have a democracy if people can't trust the outcome of our elections.”
Earlier this week, President Donald Trump thanked Rep. Arrington and other Republican leaders in Congress for “launching an effort to get AS MUCH of THE SAVE AMERICA ACT as possible” by attaching pieces of it to the budget bill.
“I am asking all House Republicans to VOTE YES this week on the Budget Resolution, which is an important first step towards getting a Budget Bill,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “House Republicans must UNIFY, and fight for THE SAVE AMERICA ACT!”
Some Democrats pushed back on the large budget requests for law enforcement and military, but Rep. Arrington said every dollar of the $67 billion defense supplemental is necessary.
“We are using reconciliation to just give baseline readiness—not Star Wars and Golden Dome and transformative modernization of the military, just the bombs, bullets and battlefield readiness for our men and women in uniform to finish the fight successfully and return home safely—that's it,” he said.
Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-TX) said providing supplemental funding to support U.S. servicemembers should not be a partisan issue, adding that the same principle applies to other priorities addressed in the budget bill, including strengthening the nation's food supply.
“Food security is national security,” he said. “We're not going to be begging China or anybody to feed our families.”
Federal funding and budget negotiations have remained a point of contention in Congress, Rep. Arrington said, pointing to two government shutdowns, both of which were the longest in history. Now, a third looms if lawmakers cannot agree on government funding and appropriations.
“I can keep going down the list, but the message is loud, and it is clear to me that we're not going to get any help from our Democrat colleagues to do what I believe are two critical things…” Rep. Arrington said.
