President Trump used Truth Social Sunday to demand that Congress make the $350 billion Reconciliation 3.0 defense package and the SAVE America Act its top legislative priorities upon returning from recess, framing both as essential to keeping the country free “for generations to come.”
“The United States Military has never been stronger, or more powerful,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I am calling on House and Senate Leadership to make this their Number One Priority, and ensure that 350 Billion Dollars in Recon 3.0 moves out of the Budget Committee as soon as Congress is back in session. The SAVE AMERICA ACT, which everyone is asking for, paired with the full funding of our Great Department of War, can be passed very quickly, ensuring that the United States of America stays FREE for Generations to come.”
Trump used the post to tout what he described as record military recruiting, unmatched military power on display during the America 250 celebrations and record-high morale, adding that the “WAR DEPARTMENT has never been ‘hotter.'”
What Reconciliation 3.0 Would Do
The $350 billion package — which the administration has branded “Recon 3.0” — would be the third use of budget reconciliation for defense spending under Trump, following the $150 billion included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed on July 4, 2025. The administration’s FY2027 budget request totals approximately $1.5 trillion in defense spending, with $350 billion of that earmarked for the reconciliation package covering munitions production, shipbuilding, the Golden Dome missile defense system, drone development and artificial intelligence, according to a White House fact sheet.
The package faces resistance from key Senate Republicans. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker has indicated it may not pass until after midterm elections, and Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee Chairman Mitch McConnell has said regular order appropriations are the right vehicle for such large defense investments. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has said he is not ruling out a third reconciliation bill but that any new spending would need to be offset.
What the SAVE America Act Would Do
The SAVE America Act — formally the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act — would require Americans to present documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections and photo identification both when voting in person and when submitting an absentee ballot, according to the bill text. States would also be required to share voter registration lists with the Department of Homeland Security’s Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements database to check citizenship status.
Accepted documents under the bill include a valid U.S. passport, a certified birth certificate, a naturalization certificate, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad or a government-issued ID explicitly showing U.S. citizenship. Election officials who register someone without documentary proof of citizenship — even if that person is a citizen — would face criminal penalties including imprisonment, according to the bill’s text. The bill does not authorize federal funding for the new state responsibilities it creates and includes no phase-in period.
The White House’s official SAVE America Act page describes the bill as amending the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 “to require proof of United States citizenship to register an individual to vote in elections for Federal office.” Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), a co-sponsor, said the bill would put “two common sense measures” in place to boost public confidence in elections — proof of citizenship to register and photo ID to cast a ballot — and that “80% of Americans support voter ID,” according to his official Q&A on the legislation.
Where the SAVE America Act Stands
The House passed the SAVE America Act on February 11, 2026, by a vote of 218 to 213, with 217 Republicans and one Democrat voting in favor and 213 Democrats voting against. The Senate took up the bill in March but failed to advance it — Republicans hold 53 seats but need 60 votes to overcome a Democratic filibuster, and at least one Republican, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, voted against proceeding to the bill.
As of June 2026, the Senate had officially failed to pass the bill. Trump’s Truth Social post Sunday signals he intends to push the legislation again when Congress returns, potentially through the reconciliation process, which would allow passage with a simple Senate majority and bypass the filibuster — though budget reconciliation rules limit what policy provisions can be included in such bills under Senate procedural rules.
The Opposition Argument
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the bill “in every sense a voter suppression bill” that could “disenfranchise” millions of eligible American citizens. Critics have pointed to research from the Brennan Center for Justice finding that more than 21 million Americans lack ready access to documentary proof of citizenship, with people of color disproportionately represented in that group. A federal district judge placed a permanent injunction in June blocking a related Trump executive order on voter registration, citing the lack of constitutionally-granted powers for the president to oversee elections, per Wikipedia.
Trump’s post frames the SAVE America Act and Reconciliation 3.0 as a paired package — one securing the military and one securing the ballot box — and suggests he sees them as the defining legislative agenda for the fall session ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Senate Majority Leader Thune has said if the SAVE America Act does not pass, it will become a campaign issue in the fall.