House Republican leaders are pressing for a vote this week on a $95 billion budget resolution that would unlock funding for the war against Iran and advance parts of the SAVE America Act, but the effort faces open dissent from fiscal conservatives. Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky told MS NOW he is 'probably a no,' citing concerns the package would become 'a slush fund for funding the war in Iran.' Representative Eric Burlison of Missouri told Fox News Digital that the absence of spending cuts and language defunding Planned Parenthood was 'enough for me to vote no.' With Democrats expected to oppose the measure, Speaker Mike Johnson can afford only three defections.

President Donald Trump intervened on Truth Social, urging all House Republicans to 'VOTE YES' and arguing the bill would secure 'AS MUCH of THE SAVE AMERICA ACT as possible.' Vice President JD Vance met with House Republicans to relay the president's support, according to three members present. The White House is running a 'full-court press,' a House Republican aide said, but interviews with multiple Republican members indicate skepticism remains. Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said she is 'not a fan' of the current approach, and a senior House GOP aide warned that abandoning payfors would undermine years of warnings about the fiscal crisis.

The SAVE America Act, which would require documentary proof of citizenship for voter registration, has twice failed to overcome the Senate's 60-vote filibuster. The reconciliation process allows passage with a simple majority, but the Senate parliamentarian has previously ruled that parts of the bill do not comply with budget rules. Trump's primetime address last week, in which he accused China of interfering in the 2020 election to ensure his defeat, was intended to build pressure for the legislation, according to The Washington Post. Advisers reportedly tried to dissuade him from the speech, and GOP strategists told the Post that voters are more focused on economic issues. Beijing rejected the allegations as 'baseless slander,' the Chinese foreign ministry said.

Amid the legislative fight, Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that a trilateral meeting with Japanese and South Korean foreign ministers will take place in the Philippines, and that Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the United States remains scheduled for September. Chinese officials continue to send preparatory teams, Rubio told reporters, and the foreign ministry said both sides maintain communication. The House budget resolution vote is expected before the August recess, after which the Senate would need to adopt its own version and reconcile differences. With roughly 20 legislative days before the midterms, multiple Republican lawmakers assessed the chances of final passage as no better than even.