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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Chris Stein in Washington

Republicans head home for the summer after a string of losses in Congress

Mike Johnson walks with his head down.
The House speaker, Mike Johnson, at the US Capitol on 23 July 2026. Photograph: J Scott Applewhite/AP

When the chief Republican budget writer took to the floor of the House of Representatives this week to tout a plan to spend tens of billions of dollars on the war with Iran, he avoided using the words “war”, “conflict” or even “Iran”.

“Just baseline battlefield readiness” is what Jodey Arrington said the money in the $95bn budget blueprint would be used for. “Bullets and bombs to finish the job and come home safely and victoriously, strengthen our food supply, and ultimately safeguard the integrity of our elections.”

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