President Donald Trump’s request for a massive cash infusion to the Pentagon amid the renewed fighting with Iran has put budget-minded Republicans in a bind ahead of the midterms and comes as the death of Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., has made a swift approval far more difficult.

Trump has asked Congress for $350 billion to the Pentagon to help fund the renewed conflict with Iran. Despite signing a Memorandum of Understanding with Tehran just weeks ago, Trump resumed active strikes on the country due to the intermittent flare-ups of live fire in the region that he said undercut negotiations.

While Trump has generally been able to secure his budgetary requests through myriad reconciliation bills, he often did so with the help of the late Senator Graham, who led the Senate Budget Committee. His death, however, has robbed the president of a stalwart ally and supporter of the war who was likely to champion the appropriation.

In his place, however, the comparatively budget-minded Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisc., appears poised to take over the committee chairmanship. Earlier this week, a spokeswoman for Johnson confirmed to Politico that he was “prepared to serve” in the role, though he has not officially assumed the post as of press time. But Graham’s replacement could also prove less of an obstacle than expected.

Speaking to Just the News, Johnson’s communications director, Grace Carnathan, said that “Senator Johnson supports drafting and passing Reconciliation 3.0, and he will work diligently with all the relevant parties in the Senate, House, and White House to determine what is possible to achieve.”

On the House side, Speaker Mike Johnson is gearing up for a third reconciliation package to follow the border security package and the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act. But “Reconciliation 3.0” already appears to be facing significant headwinds from budget hawks, including those leaving the legislature who have little to lose from their opposition.

Outgoing GOP Reps. Chip Roy, Texas, and Ralph Norman, South Carolina, have each expressed reservations about the plan, with Roy demanding offsetting spending cuts and Norman wanting the inclusion of the SAVE America Act in the bill, according to Punchbowl News. 

Roy lost his bid for Texas attorney general this year and is set to leave political office. Norman, meanwhile, failed to clinch the GOP nomination for governor, but is set to run to replace Graham in the Senate.

Narrow margins in the House leave Republicans with extremely little room for defections, but the Senate may prove comparably difficult. Democrats and some outgoing Republicans have repeatedly rallied behind war powers resolutions opposing Trump’s unilateral continuation of the conflict.

The reconciliation process allows the Senate to approve budget-related items with a simple majority, but Republicans have only 53 votes, leaving similarly little room to maneuver. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., has previously joined with Democrats to approve war powers resolutions seeking to limit continued conflict.

Whether the budget hawks will take a stand for significant cuts or outgoing lawmakers merely dig their heels in remains to be seen, but one way or another, a third reconciliation package appears fraught with political risk ahead of the November midterms.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent for Just the News. Follow him on X.