House passes budget for defense, farmers, election reform

President Donald Trump on Friday urged Senate Republicans to advance a $95 billion budget resolution before the August recess, but Senate Republican leader John Thune said he lacks the votes to bring the measure to the floor.

Trump wrote on Truth Social that he was “asking that the Senate adopt a Budget Resolution, which can pass with a simple Majority, before leaving for the August recess.” He added, “We are ready to work side-by-side with the Senate to get this done for the American People!”

House Republicans passed their budget resolution this week before departing for summer recess. The framework allocates $73 billion for military and intelligence agencies, $12 billion for farmers, and $10 billion for election reform. If the Senate passes a matching resolution, the move would trigger the budget reconciliation process, allowing lawmakers to pass spending bills with a simple majority and bypass the 60-vote filibuster threshold.

Thune told reporters Thursday that he does not see a path to the necessary votes. “As I’ve said before, you got to get to 50, and I can’t count to 50 right now on a budget resolution,” Thune said. He identified government funding as the chamber’s priority: “The priority is funding the government — to me that’s the thing we got to keep our eyes on.”

The White House escalated pressure on Thune throughout the week. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that Trump’s patience with the Senate Republican leader is “running out.” On Wednesday, Trump urged a crowd in Georgia to “call John Thune” to push for the SAVE America Act, the election-reform legislation that has failed to gain sufficient support in Congress despite the president’s endorsement.

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, pushed back on the White House pressure campaign. “This idea that he can just command members of the Republican conference to get in line is just a fantasy,” Cornyn told Politico. “I don’t know who it was that sold the president on this idea, that this was obtainable, but it’s creating a circular firing squad for Republicans.”