House Passes $95 Billion Defense and Voting Package 216-214, Adelita Grijalva Votes No

The House approved $73 billion for the war in Iran and $10 billion tied to voting restrictions last Wednesday, and Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ) says Americans struggling to afford food and healthcare should be asking why.

"The House just approved the largest Pentagon budget in U.S. history plus $73 billion more for Trump's reckless war in Iran," Grijalva wrote. "While millions of Americans struggle to afford food, healthcare, and housing, Republicans are spending billions on endless wars and making it harder to vote with the SAVE Act. This isn't what people want!"

The House passed the full $95 billion budget resolution 216-214, with all Democrats opposed and three Republicans also voting against it.

The framework breaks down into three main areas: $73 billion for defense and intelligence spending amid the ongoing conflict with Iran, $12 billion in agriculture aid, and $10 billion for a grant program designed to encourage states to adopt voter ID requirements and proof-of-citizenship rules aligned with the Trump-backed SAVE America Act.

Washington's Responses

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) framed the vote as a win for military readiness, farmers, and election security, saying Republicans are "the only team in Washington" delivering on those priorities.

Interestingly, the three Republicans who broke with their party cited different concerns. Representative Warren Davidson (R-OH) voted against the package over the complete absence of spending offsets.

Additionally, Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY) also voted no. At the same time, independent Representative Kevin Kiley (I-CA), who caucuses with Republicans, objected to using the budget reconciliation process for Iran war funding, arguing that such spending should be bipartisan and that Congress needed a more central role in defining the scope and direction of the conflict.

For Grijalva, the priorities reflected in the bill tell a troubling story. She pointed to the contrast between the billions directed toward military spending and voting measures while millions of Americans face rising costs for necessities.

The package now moves to the Senate, where its path is uncertain.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) indicated he would hold the reconciliation process as a backup. At the same time, the chamber works through other priorities, and several Senate Republicans have already expressed concerns about the framework as written.