House Speaker Mike Johnson and fellow Republicans are gearing up to vote on four major funding bills left undone until the last minute. The lawmakers are considering multiple road maps for election security ahead of their monthlong recess that begins Friday.
Aiming to pass everything under one rule, the bills will address a ban on congressional stock trading, a budget resolution to tee up the long-awaited reconciliation 3.0, a continuing resolution to avoid a government shutdown, and the yearly National Defense Authorization Act.
In three out of the four, they hope to include provisions of the SAVE America Act to secure elections by requiring voter ID and proof of citizenship.
Long-Awaited Ban on Insider Trading
In 2026, members of Congress, who have unparalleled inside access to private sector business dealings, are allowed to participate in the stock market. However, the Stop Insider Trading Act would end their ability to profit from the market while they are in office.
Specifically, the bill would block members, their spouses, and children from buying stocks while in office. If they wish to make a sale, they must notify the public up to 14 days before the sale.
The Stop Insider Trading Act also would require voters to provide a photo ID when casting a ballot in elections, a provision of the SAVE America Act.
Trump’s Preferred Road to SAVE
The $95 billion narrow budget resolution is the first step to reconciliation 3.0. This is President Donald Trump’s preferred path to enact voter ID and proof of citizenship at the polls.
The budget resolution instructs four committees to write reconciliation legislation: the House Administration Committee, at $10 billion for SAVE America; the House Armed Services Committee, at $60 billion; the House Intelligence Committee, at $13 billion, both for defense and Iran spending; and the House Agriculture Committee, at $12 billion for farmers.
Missing from the long-awaited package were instructions to ban abortion funding, address fraud prevention, and promote affordability in housing- and energy-related policies.
Johnson’s pain point will be convincing conservatives that having zero offsets to the almost $100 billion is still worth it to grant emergency defense funding and pass SAVE America.
A Government Funding Bandage
Last week, Johnson added a continuing resolution to the already crowded schedule. That resolution aims to fund the government through the midterm elections, avoiding a potential government shutdown on Sept. 30.
The clean continuing resolution would fund the government through Dec. 4. It does not create any new programs or appropriate new funds; rather, it continues 2026-approved funding through the end of the year. While Democrats are not expected to stall the party-line bill, passing it would help Republicans avoid another barrier during the election season.
More Defense Funding
The more than $70 billion in defense spending in the budget resolution isn’t enough. The House still must pass the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act to set defense policies and recommend funding areas. The Senate has had difficulties passing its version because Democrats oppose military actions in the Middle East.
Among Pentagon directives for defense, the NDAA is set to include multiple amendments to appease Democrats, including environmental policies. It will likely address rising electricity bills, critical minerals, and nuclear energy policy. Unrelatedly, it also could include SAVE America voter ID requirements.
Actions on these four major bills are expected on Tuesday and Wednesday; Johnson said he hopes to have them passed before members go home Friday.
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[ H/T The Daily Signal ]
