Story perspectives

GOP split on defense bill, voting-restriction rider, trans, Ukraine cuts.

6/30/2026

Left

Scalise Blocks Bill

Republican lawmakers debated a “MIRV” maneuver to attach the SAVE America voting-restriction bill to the $1.15 trillion defense authorization.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise voted no, enabling Republican leaders to recall the defense spending bill.
Democrats argued the $1.6 trillion defense budget is unaffordable and could lift grocery prices for Americans.
Republicans introduced amendments to bar transgender service members and cut Ukraine aid, highlighting party splits.

Right

Trump urges

U.S. President Donald Trump urged House GOP hard-liners to end the blockade over the flagship voter-ID bill.
Speaker Mike Johnson announced attaching the SAVE America Act to the $1.15 trillion defense spending bill, risking its floor vote.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) pledged to sink the defense bill without her voter-ID amendment.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said the attachment makes Senate passage unlikely, blaming semantics.

History

Historical Context

During the 1995 shutdown, Speaker Newt Gingrich and President Bill Clinton clashed, forcing a five-day closure that furloughed roughly 800,000 federal workers. The episode showed how attaching controversial riders to defense bills can stall funding. Today, President Donald Trump is using the same tactic, bundling the SAVE America voting-restriction measure with a $1.15 trillion defense authorization.

1 of 3

Scalise Blocks Bill

Republican lawmakers debated a “MIRV” maneuver to attach the SAVE America voting-restriction bill to the $1.15 trillion defense authorization.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise voted no, enabling Republican leaders to recall the defense spending bill.
Democrats argued the $1.6 trillion defense budget is unaffordable and could lift grocery prices for Americans.
Republicans introduced amendments to bar transgender service members and cut Ukraine aid, highlighting party splits.

1 / 3