Senate Republicans took their first procedural vote Monday night on the budget plan they hope to use to swiftly enact a border security, energy and defense spending bill — and deliver President Donald Trump a major legislative victory during his first months in office.
The 50-47 vote will allow GOP senators to forge ahead later this week with floor debate on that fiscal blueprint, followed by a so-called vote-a-rama — an overnight barrage of amendment votes that precedes adoption of the budget resolution. But the power of that measure to allow lawmakers to skirt Senate filibuster rules to draft and pass a partisan bill won’t be unlocked until GOP leaders in the House and Senate get on the same page about the scope of their party-line package.
Eventually the House and Senate will need to adopt identical budget resolutions to officially jump-start the budget reconciliation process, and House and Senate leaders continue to advance differing plans. House Republicans cling to their dream of “one big, beautiful bill” that includes trillions of dollars in tax cuts, while Senate Republicans are hoping to pass a second reconciliation measure addressing tax policy later in the year.
House Republicans are continuing to shore up the votes for their budget plan, which they hope to adopt on their chamber floor next week. But they’re running up against opposition from various factions of their conference.
