Congress Passes Budget Resolution Enabling Reconciliation Bills for Immigration Enforcement and Defense Priorities

The Senate and House passed a budget resolution before leaving Capitol Hill on Friday that sets up a second reconciliation bill containing about $72 billion in funding for immigration enforcement and the White House ballroom. The move leaves additional funding for defense on the table for a potential third round of reconciliation, with the timing still unclear.

Breaking Defense reported that the Pentagon had requested $350 billion in reconciliation funding for fiscal year 2027.

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker told reporters last week that reconciliation funds for defense might not be passed until after midterm elections. "I am quite hopeful that it will indeed be enacted sometime in November," he said.

His comments reflect a growing sense of unease around whether a defense-focused reconciliation bill will survive Congress, where the narrow House majority complicates passage.

Rep. " Bacon said some House Freedom Caucus members have "anti-defense" leanings. "It would be better if we did this through the budget process, because you get more support," he added. Rep. Ken Calvert chairs the House Appropriations defense subcommittee.

The Hill reported opposition to a third round of reconciliation among Senate Republicans, citing two unnamed GOP senators. The Office of Management and Budget characterized its use of reconciliation as a pragmatic gambit necessary to grow spending for Trump administration priorities without ceding funds for Democrat-backed initiatives.

Jules Hurst is performing the duties of the Pentagon’s comptroller.

During a briefing last month, Hurst said that when selecting defense accounts for reconciliation the Pentagon used three criteria including greater flexibility on when funds can be obligated, one-time plus-ups, and rapidly changing technology such as Golden Dome or DAWG.

"We wouldn’t ask for the money if we didn’t want it. So, we’ll go back to the White House, and we’ll work with Congress to come up with a new strategy if the White House and Congress decide reconciliation is not the right vehicle," he said.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine are scheduled to appear before House and Senate appropriators on Tuesday for hearings on the Pentagon’s fiscal 2027 budget strategy. Defense Industrial Base funding in the reconciliation request totals about $113 billion.

7 billion. 6 billion while the Office of Strategic Capital loan program totals $20 billion. 3 billion.

5 billion. 5 billion for the logistics system for uncrewed platforms. 4 billion.

Munitions Production funding in the reconciliation request totals $47 billion, with critical legacy munitions accounting for about $40 billion. Low-cost hypersonic strike weapon programs total $326 million. 7 billion, split between an Air Force share of $990 million, a Navy share of $676 million and $101 million for F-35 integration.

6 billion. 1 billion while its base budget request is $400 million. 3 billion for F-35 development.

1 billion for Proliferated Low Earth Orbit mesh constellation expansion.