US House approves $122b budget plan with Iran war funding

• The US House approved a US$95 billion budget, mainly funding the Pentagon for the war against Iran, in a narrow 216-214 vote.
• The plan includes $73 billion for military and intelligence, $12 billion for farmers hit by trade wars, and $10 billion for election programs.
• The budget aims to strengthen elections and homeland security but faces criticism for funding the Iran war amid inflation concerns before midterm elections.

WASHINGTON – The US House of Representatives approved a US$95 billion (S$122.6 billion) budget framework on July 22, with most of the funding earmarked for the Pentagon to fund the war against Iran.

The measure was narrowly approved in a 216-214 vote and now heads to the Senate, where its fate is uncertain.

The plan provides US$73 billion for the armed forces and intelligence agencies, notably to fund operations linked to the war against Iran, as well as US$12 billion in aid for farmers affected by President Donald Trump’s trade war.

An additional US$10 billion would go toward election-related programs as part of Trump’s push to enact new nationwide voting restrictions while his broader “SAVE America Act” lacks enough support to proceed.

The budget package represents the party’s last major legislative push before November’s midterm elections, the outcome of which will determine whether the party retains its majority in Congress and thus continues to shape the remainder of Trump’s second term.

The resolution, which for now is only a budget framework, would allow House Republicans – if it is approved by the Senate – to draft detailed legislation later in the summer.

The aim would then be to try to pass it in the Senate by a simple majority using an expedited budget procedure, thereby bypassing the usual 60-vote threshold and Democratic opposition.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said the measure, approved on July 22, “puts Congressional Republicans on a path to enacting two fundamentally simple and crucial goals: securing American elections and strengthening our homeland”.

Democratic Representative Rosa DeLauro, meanwhile, denounced a measure that would allow Trump to finance the continuation of his war against Iran.

“The American people do not want more open-ended, aimless, expensive, and deadly wars in the Middle East. They want the price of basic necessities like food, housing, healthcare, childcare, and gasoline to go down,” she said.

The cost of living in the United States is a central issue in the run up to the midterm elections, as inflation remains persistent. AFP