Iran war funding dilemma

Yeah, and you touch on a lot of things there.

Yeah.

And I think your point about the Democrats growing in strength is really important because the Democrats have been dead set against this Iran war from the get-go, and the war has very little public support.

And so after the elections, you know, Democrats are going to be energized.

So it's hard for me to imagine that a supplemental request, mostly for the Iran war, has any chance of passing because you need bipartisan support for that.

the Senate as a separate standalone legislation.

I don't think there's any way Democrats are going to go for that.

I mean, they haven't so far, which is why you haven't seen action on that supplemental request.

And after the elections, they're probably going to feel only more emboldened, right? So is a vote on a supplemental package even an option? I'm not sure it is at this point.

which means the only thing Republicans can do after the elections would be a reconciliation bill, which they've said they've wanted to do.

And the House adopted a budget resolution as a first step toward that before they left for the summer recess that did provide something like $60 billion in defense money, I think.

Right.

Plus intelligence funding.

Correct.

So that was the game plan for House Republicans.

But Senate Republicans have not been eager to take this up.

They didn't take up a budget resolution.

Right.

There's a lot of qualms about, do we need it? What really should be in this thing? There seems to be no consensus.

And you have to wonder after the elections, assuming their political power has been weakened, Republicans, What do they do then? Like how much motivation is there for them at that point to try to pass a reconciliation bill? And can they get their act together to build consensus on a package? To me, it's going to be the $64,000 question, right?

Yeah, I think you're right.

And your talking it through helps me clarify it in my mind.

Senator John Kennedy from Louisiana told me the other day, the only way the Defense Department's getting funded this year is reconciliation.

Yeah.

We're not even just talking supplemental, by the way.

Yeah, and you touch on a lot of things there.

Yeah.

And I think your point about the Democrats growing in strength is really important because the Democrats have been dead set against this Iran war from the get-go, and the war has very little public support.

And so after the elections, you know, Democrats are going to be energized.

So it's hard for me to imagine that a supplemental request, mostly for the Iran war, has any chance of passing because you need bipartisan support for that.

the Senate as a separate standalone legislation.

I don't think there's any way Democrats are going to go for that.

I mean, they haven't so far, which is why you haven't seen action on that supplemental request.

And after the elections, they're probably going to feel only more emboldened, right? So is a vote on a supplemental package even an option? I'm not sure it is at this point.

which means the only thing Republicans can do after the elections would be a reconciliation bill, which they've said they've wanted to do.

And the House adopted a budget resolution as a first step toward that before they left for the summer recess that did provide something like $60 billion in defense money, I think.

Right.

Plus intelligence funding.

Correct.

So that was the game plan for House Republicans.

But Senate Republicans have not been eager to take this up.

They didn't take up a budget resolution.

Right.

There's a lot of qualms about, do we need it? What really should be in this thing? There seems to be no consensus.

And you have to wonder after the elections, assuming their political power has been weakened, Republicans, What do they do then? Like how much motivation is there for them at that point to try to pass a reconciliation bill? And can they get their act together to build consensus on a package? To me, it's going to be the $64,000 question, right?

Yeah, I think you're right.

And your talking it through helps me clarify it in my mind.

Senator John Kennedy from Louisiana told me the other day, the only way the Defense Department's getting funded this year is reconciliation.

Yeah.

We're not even just talking supplemental, by the way.