The U.S. Senate gave the green light to a budget “blueprint” in the early hours of Friday through a nearly party-line vote. Republican senators aimed to boost defense and border patrol spending with their approval of the resolution. The margin stood at 52-48, with Senator Rand Paul from Kentucky siding with all 47 Democrats in opposing the resolution. This crucial vote occurred almost a week following the House committee’s endorsement of its own blueprint, which highlighted substantial reductions of almost $2 trillion over the next decade. Notable slashes included provisions affecting education, energy, and agriculture expenditures.
The path to finalizing the budget remains long and arduous, particularly given the differing ideologies between Republican senators and representatives. A key disparity lies in the Senate’s proposal to split the budget process into two separate bills. The initial bill would encompass funding for some of President Donald Trump’s initiatives, particularly those aimed at enhancing border security. The subsequent bill would focus on prolonging tax cuts scheduled to expire later in the year. On the contrary, the House’s version seeks to consolidate both proposals into a single bill.
Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina who chairs the Senate Budget Committee, expressed his optimism stating, “I hope the House can pass one big bill that meets President Trump’s priorities. But this approach provides money that we needed yesterday to continue the momentum on securing our border, enforcing our immigration laws, and rebuilding our military. Time is of the essence.”
Graham elaborated further on the specifics of the budget resolution, mentioning that it allows for Judiciary and Homeland Security Committees to allocate up to a total of $175 billion towards implementing President Trump’s border security agenda. The resolution also instructs the Armed Services Committee to utilize up to $150 billion to enhance the lethality of the military, in addition to allocating up to $20 billion for modernizing the Coast Guard.
The final vote took place after Democrats introduced numerous amendments during a “vote-a-rama,” prolonging Thursday’s Senate session well into the early hours of Friday. Senator Jeff Merkley, the leading Democrat on the Senate Budget Committee, criticized the Republican budget resolution, stating, “Families lose and billionaires win. That’s the heart of the Republicans’ budget resolution. This Republican budget proposes $1 trillion in cuts to programs for working families by the end of this fiscal year. The only way to cut $1 trillion by September 30 is to gut entire agencies and all of their services, which families rely on. Trump and Senate Republicans are showing who they truly care about as they slash programs for families to line the pockets of their billionaire friends. Trump’s tax plan is the Great Betrayal of working families.”
