House GOP presses Senate to act on reconciliation 3.0 framework as Thune hits pause

House Republicans are urging the Senate to move aggressively on the reconciliation framework they passed Wednesday, which tees up the party’s likely last chance to advance several key priorities before Congress becomes consumed by a September government funding fight and the 2026 midterm elections.

But the budget resolution is set to hit speedbumps in the Senate, where Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has said the upper chamber will not immediately take it up. He argued Republicans may need to keep the reconciliation vehicle as a backup option to advance a funding measure in case the two parties can’t reach a deal ahead of the Sept. 30 fiscal deadline.

The House’s adoption of the budget resolution marks the first step toward a third reconciliation bill that would fund defense and intelligence, agriculture aid, and Trump-backed election integrity initiatives. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) had spent days winning over skeptical conservative hard-liners, who had raised concerns about the lack of cuts to offset new spending in the package.

Thune’s stance isn’t sitting well with many House Republicans.

“I just think that we ought to pass that as soon as we can. I think, you know, our troops and the military need that additional funding, and our farmers need help, so we need to pass that as soon as we can,” Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.) said.

Rep. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.) echoed similar sentiments, saying, “I do think we should, you know, move to get it done as quickly as possible. I feel like we’re running out of time.”

Asked whether Thune’s strategy could narrow the timeline of getting a third bill done, Crane said, “It’s possible.”

While House lawmakers departed Washington on Thursday for a monthlong August recess, the Senate has two more weeks in session — a window that could prove critical for Thune as pressure mounts from President Trump to take up the budget resolution. 

House GOP leaders are eyeing the third reconciliation bill as a vehicle to advance the Safeguard........

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