President Calls for Reconciliation 3.0 to Advance Defense Spending and Voter Registration Measure as Top Congressional Priority
President Donald Trump on Tuesday urged congressional leaders to make the passage of a $350 billion defense package, alongside the proposed SAVE America Act, their highest legislative priority once Congress reconvenes.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump called on House and Senate leadership to move what he described as "Reconciliation 3.0" out of the Budget Committee without delay.
“I am calling on House and Senate Leadership to make this their Number One Priority, and ensure that 350 Billion Dollars in Recon 3.0 moves out of the Budget Committee as soon as Congress is back in session. The SAVE AMERICA ACT, which everyone is asking for, paired with the full funding of our Great Department of War, can be passed very quickly, ensuring that the United States of America stays FREE for Generations to come,” Trump wrote.
Budget reconciliation is a legislative process that allows Congress to expedite the passage of measures involving federal spending, taxation, or the debt limit. In the Senate, the process also enables lawmakers to bypass the legislative filibuster and approve legislation with a simple majority of 51 votes.
Trump said that although the U.S. military remains the strongest in the world, continued investment is essential to maintain that position.
“We need to keep it that way, which is why, when Congress returns, we must pass Reconciliation 3.0, with 350 Billion Dollars for Defense, plus THE SAVE AMERICA ACT,” he wrote.
The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act, commonly referred to as the SAVE Act, would require individuals using the federal voter registration form to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship in person at their local election office. Acceptable documents would include a valid U.S. passport or a government-issued photo identification card presented together with a certified birth certificate.
The legislation has already passed the House of Representatives but remains stalled in the Senate. Trump has previously advocated eliminating the filibuster to help secure the bill's passage. However, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has repeatedly stated that there are not enough Republican votes to abolish the filibuster, despite the president's calls.
Speaking to Fox News on Sunday, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Republicans plan to make another attempt to pass the SAVE America Act by including it in a budget reconciliation package.
“The president has that as a top priority, and so do I,” Johnson said. “We passed it three times in the House. We’re going to try one more time on a budget reconciliation bill, and I think that will be the way to get it through the Senate, and finally, to the president’s desk.”
Trump's renewed push comes more than a week after a federal judge blocked the administration from enforcing part of an executive order signed last year that would have required proof of citizenship to vote in U.S. elections.
On June 24, U.S. District Judge Denise J. Casper of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts ruled that neither federal law nor the Constitution grants the president authority to administer elections.
“Our Constitution vests control over federal elections in the States, subject to some oversight by Congress,” Casper wrote. “While the Constitution vests the President with ‘executive power’ and commands him to ‘take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed,’ it does not grant the President any specific powers over elections.”
