GOP's $95B defense package survives critical hurdle amid fiscal hawk revolt

House GOP leaders narrowly avoided a major setback Thursday as they race to pass a third-party-line megabill, but fiscal hawks are still threatening to derail the effort down the road.The first test came Thursday at a critical House Budget Committee markup, during which the panel approved a $95 billion budget reconciliation framework along party lines.But House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is likely to face trouble on the House floor next week as some conservatives sharply criticize the package for including no spending-cut instructions. Rep.Chip Roy, R-Texas, a member of the budget panel, did not vote.Rep.
Ralph Norman, R-S.C., and Rep.Chip Roy, R-Texas, exchange words during a House Rules Committee meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on July 1, 2025.
(Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post)JOHNSON SCORES WIN AS CONSERVATIVE REBELS END HOUSE FLOOR BLOCKADE OVER VOTER ID BILLThe budget blueprint now heads to the House Rules Committee, where GOP leaders will attempt to win a key vote and put the plan up for a chamber-wide vote by the end of next week.The framework would provide $73 billion for defense and intelligence, allocate $12 billion in assistance to farmers and establish a $10 billion funding pot that is expected to provide grants to states to implement elements of the SAVE America Act.House fiscal hawks warned earlier this week that the bill was a non-starter because it included no spending offsets."I think that a no offset plan is dead on arrival because, frankly, three of us would kill it," Rep.Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, told reporters.
"And so, I think that's likely at this point."Passing a budget blueprint is the first step to unlock the complex budget reconciliation process, which requires near-unanimity among Republicans amid their slim margins.House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., can afford to lose just three GOP defections assuming all members are present and voting.Rep.Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, arrives for the House Republican Conference cauc...