By David Morgan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Senate Republicans, led by Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, are gearing up to progress on a mysterious agenda that aims to overcome internal party disagreements regarding President Donald Trump’s priorities. The plan is to kick off the process by next week with a proposed $300 billion, four-year budget to finance border security and military initiatives.
Graham informed the press on Wednesday that the Senate intends to start working on a budget resolution that will not only allocate funds for the proposed expenditures but also task committees with identifying ways to offset the additional spending. The ultimate goal is to secure Senate approval in the near future. Additionally, a separate plan is in the works to extend Trump’s tax cuts from 2017 and introduce other tax-related proposals later in the year.
Both Senate and House Republicans have put forth a proposal for a two-bill strategy to navigate the contentious debate surrounding spending cuts, which has hindered the House’s efforts to advance Trump’s agenda through a comprehensive legislative package.
“I am hopeful that we can initiate the process as early as next week,” stated Graham, a senator from South Carolina, following a presentation of his plan to fellow Senate Republicans during a luncheon meeting. “Although the timeline is uncertain, we aim to expedite the process, hopefully completing it in a matter of weeks rather than months.”
President Trump has been advocating for an extension of his 2017 tax cuts, which are scheduled to expire at the end of this year and are estimated to amount to around $4 trillion over a decade, according to the non-partisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. Some conservative House Republicans have been pushing for significant spending reductions to prevent the tax cuts from substantially adding to the federal government’s existing $36 trillion debt.
According to Graham’s outline, the proposed Senate budget resolution would allocate approximately $150 billion towards Trump’s border security and immigration enforcement plan, with a similar sum designated to enhance the capabilities of the U.S. military in addressing global threats.
House Speaker Mike Johnson from Louisiana has faced challenges in reaching consensus within his party on passing a budget resolution promptly due to clashes between hardline conservatives advocating for deep spending cuts and moderate Republicans expressing concerns about the potential impact on essential public services in their districts.
The budget resolutions are deemed essential to initiate the procedural steps that Republicans plan to employ to circumvent Democratic resistance in the Senate. Despite intensive discussions held at a Trump-owned resort in Miami last week, House Republicans have yet to finalize an agreement on the blueprint.
Johnson has refuted suggestions that time is running out for the House to take action, but Senate Republicans remain skeptical about the House’s ability to achieve success.
“The Senate is prepared to act decisively. We hope to lead the way, and expect the House to follow suit,” remarked Republican Senator Ron Johnson from Wisconsin, a member of Graham’s committee. “While the idea of one comprehensive bill is appealing, the reality is that it was not a
