Summary
Some Republicans are concerned about President Trump’s plan to use a special budget process to increase military spending. This process, called reconciliation, lets certain spending bills pass with a simple majority in the Senate, bypassing the usual 60-vote requirement. Republican Senators, including Lisa Murkowski, prefer to use the traditional appropriations method for setting the defense budget.
Key Facts
- President Trump’s administration is considering using a reconciliation bill to increase defense spending.
- Reconciliation is a budget process that allows some spending bills to pass with a simple majority in the Senate.
- The reconciliation process avoids the 60-vote requirement, meaning fewer Democrats need to agree.
- Senator Lisa Murkowski and others prefer the regular appropriations process for defense spending.
- Last year, a reconciliation bill increased defense funding by over $150 billion.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said more increases through reconciliation are likely.
- OMB Director Russ Vought supports using reconciliation for defense priorities like shipbuilding and nuclear modernization.
- Some Republican Senators, including Roger Wicker, oppose using reconciliation for defense spending.
