Republicans begin reconciliation of the SAVE America Act, the war on Iran and ICE

WASHINGTON – The chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee announced Wednesday that he plans to pass a major Republican-only bill that funds key items such as immigration enforcement, military spending during the Iran war and new election rules.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, RS.C., said he would “move quickly” to write a “reconciliation” budget process for the measure, which allows the Republican-led Senate to bypass the 60-vote filibuster rule and deter Democrats from action. It’s the same process they used to pass President Donald Trump’s “big, good bill” last year.

He said the project was supported by Trump and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, RS.D.

“The purpose of the second reconciliation bill is to ensure that there are adequate funds to protect our country and support our men and women in the military who fight bravely,” Graham said in a statement.

Republicans plan to fund parts of the Department of Homeland Security — namely, ICE and deportation operations — that are not included in upcoming negotiations to end the partial government shutdown that is creating long airline lines.

They also plan to use the law to advance parts of the SAVE America Act, a bill endorsed by Trump to impose stricter voting laws across the country. Graham said he sees “many opportunities to improve voter integrity through reconciliation.”

“President Trump and Leader Thune are right to want a second reconciliation bill to address the threats we face and keep our elections safe and fair,” Graham added.

Thune told reporters Tuesday, “We just came out of a luncheon where this was discussed, and I think there’s a lot of support for the budget reconciliation bill.”

Republican leaders see it as their best option to express Trump’s demands to pass the election process. But the reconciliation process is largely limited to provisions on taxes and spending. And Democrats can urge parliament, the internal umpire, to strike down provisions that don’t meet those strict rules.

Because of this, the sponsor of the SAVE America Act, Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, said it is “absolutely impossible” to pass a bill that way.

“There are many things that the Senate can pass by a simple majority using a process known as ‘budget reconciliation.’ The SAVE America Act is *not* for them,” Lee wrote in X.

When asked if the Republicans will comply with the advice of the member of the parliament regarding the provisions from the SAVE America Act, Thune said they intend to respect it.

“That’s an iterative and back-and-forth process, sometimes we trade different ideas to see what works,” Thune said Tuesday at his weekly press conference. “But obviously, the Member of Parliament has a role to play in that process. And in the past, we have respected it. And I would expect us to do that.”

Ignoring Congresswoman Elizabeth MacDonough’s decisions would be like a nuke behind a 60-vote filibuster, which Republicans insist they won’t do.

“If you want to push the SAVE Act through reconciliation, do it. We will fight tooth and nail through the reconciliation process, every time,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., said Wednesday on the floor. “You’re going to find it very difficult to make major changes to the American electoral system … by using a process that wasn’t designed for that purpose.”

Democrats feel confident that they can successfully challenge election provisions like the SAVE America Act.

“There’s certainly an ability to do ‘something’ in reconciliation, but it could look like Swiss cheese by the time Elizabeth is done with it,” said Charlie Ellsworth, a former Schumer legal aide who worked on reconciliation during the Biden era.

The path will be difficult, given that it is subject to unlimited amendments and the need to win almost every majority of the minority Republican members in the House and Senate. Trump’s big, good bill passed the Senate by one vote.

Without ICE funding, Republicans expect to pursue funding for Trump’s war with Iran; The Pentagon is reportedly seeking $200 billion or more. Although the White House has not officially settled on that number, any additional martial law would be difficult to get votes from Democrats, who call it an unjust war of choice, so reconciliation would be the only way to do it.

Even some key Republicans are holding back on another major party bill.

“We had a discussion about it,” said Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., who sits on the Budget Committee will oversee the plan. “I’m interested, but I think it’s hard to do.”

“I don’t want it where there will be a lot of waste of money,” adding that the biggest challenge will be to “keep it focused” and not let it continue to grow.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee, said she doesn’t believe using reconciliation is a “good way” to fund parts of DHS.

In the House, Republicans are divided on the effort.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., welcomed it, saying: “I’m glad to know that the Senate is interested in reconciliation 2.0.”

“We need to do that. It’s an important legislative tool,” he told reporters on Wednesday. “We already have a set of priorities that we’re working on in the House. And it’s possible that the defense supplement will be part of that package, but we don’t have the details yet.”

But the top Republican on the House Appropriations Committee doubted that another extended reconciliation bill could pass by a narrow 217-214 majority, where the GOP can afford only one defection to pass without Democrats.

“I don’t see how we get votes,” said the lawmaker.

At the House Republicans’ annual convention in Florida this month, Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., chairman of the Ways and Means Committee on Taxation, poured cold water on the idea.

“I would love to do Atonement 2,” Smith said. “I would also like to look like Brad Pitt.”

The speaker said he has since started calling Smith “Brad.”