The White House has thrown its weight behind a budget reconciliation bill that includes elements of the SAVE America Act, a move that has some fiscal hawks expressing skepticism. The legislation aims to add $95 billion in new government spending through 2036 and includes $73 billion for national security spending.
Speaker Mike Johnson is spearheading the effort to pass the bill through the budget reconciliation process, which would bypass the need for Democratic support in the Senate. This move has raised concerns among some Republicans who are wary of additional government spending without cuts to offset it.
Some House Republicans, including Rep. Eric Burlison, have expressed concerns about the lack of payfors in the bill. Burlison told Fox News Digital that he is open to a dialogue with the administration on how to ensure that the SAVE language is solid, but he is opposed to the bill in its current form.
President Trump has expressed his support for the bill, urging House Republicans to vote yes on the budget resolution. He argued that the legislation would "get as much of the SAVE America Act as possible in a budget bill, along with aid to our incredible farmers and funding for our military."
The bill's framework does not currently include any spending cuts, which has raised alarms among conservatives. Some House Republicans have expressed concerns about the lack of payfors, but others see the bill as a way to pass key elements of the SAVE America Act through reconciliation.
A senior House GOP aide said that abandoning payfors would be irresponsible, while a source familiar with the conservative House Freedom Caucus left the door open to supporting the bill if the full SAVE America Act is included in the final legislation.
Rep. Marlin Stutzman, a Budget Committee member, expressed support for the chosen path, saying that it is even more irresponsible to have business as usual elections without the security the SAVE America Act will create.
