House GOP's 'reconciliation 3.0' runs into Senate roadblocks

House Republicans say they limited their ambitions for a third party-line spending package to make it easier to get through the Senate, but the ploy does not appear to be working.

Senate GOP leaders are still cautious about jumping into the "reconciliation 3.0" effort ahead of the fall midterm elections, as rank-and-file Republican senators raise conflicting demands for what should and should not be included.

"It's a risky proposition," Senate Majority Leader John Thune said, questioning whether the juice of a $95 billion defense, farm aid and voter ID package is worth the political squeeze it will take to pass it. "Can we get 50 on anything?" the South Dakota Republican said. "And even if we get 50 to pass it, can we defeat all the poison-pill amendments?"

The majority of the funding Republicans plan to include in the package, roughly $70 billion, is for defense needs related to the politically unpopular Iran war.

Ultimately, House Republicans proceeded with a budget resolution — the first step in unlocking the reconciliation process — that would allow for up to $95 billion in deficit spending without mandating any offsets. In addition to the $70 billion in defense funding, the budget allows for up to $12 billion in economic assistance to farmers and $10 billion to fund the implementation of election requirements for voters to provide proof of citizenship to register and photo ID to cast a ballot.

"Given the short time frame and the challenges of the Senate, we thought it was best to keep it narrow for this, if we were going to be successful," House Budget Chairman Jodey Arrington told The Washington Times.

But the narrow approach is still running into Senate opposition, as several Republicans in the upper chamber say they cannot support a budget-reconciliation package that adds to the deficit. "I think all new federal spending should be offset by cutting spending somewhere else," said Sen. Rand Paul, Kentucky Republican.

Sen. Thom Tillis, North Carolina Republican, said the reconciliation package should be limited to providing defense and other government funding that Democrats will not support in the annual appropriations process. "If we keep on [adding] layers of complexity, like another bogus attempt at the SAVE Act, then we're never going to get it done," he said.

While Mr. Tillis said he will vote against the package if the proof of citizenship and photo ID election requirements of the SAVE America Act are included, a bill without them is unlikely to get Mr. Trump's support.

"Addressing this crisis of election security demands that Congress must pass the SAVE America Act," the president said in a Thursday night address to the nation discussing election vulnerabilities.

Mr. Thune said the changes to the election measure that would have to be made to fit within the restrictions of the budget reconciliation process may not "be sufficient to scratch the itch of the people who want the full SAVE Act." "If you make it anything that is principally policy as opposed to budgetary, it'll get Byrded out," he said, referring to the "Byrd rule" that governs the reconciliation process.

Given the strict Senate rules and the differing opinions in his conference, Mr. Thune said he has "to be the realist" about the prospects of passing a third reconciliation bill before the midterms. "I'm not pooh-poohing it," he said. "But I'm just saying people need to think long and hard about what it entails."