Senate Set to Vote on Resolution to Approve Trump’s Budget Proposal

February 18, 2025 TruthUSA

Disagreement persists between Senate and House Republicans regarding the plan, effectively stalling any further action.

WASHINGTON—Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) announced on Tuesday that the U.S. Senate will vote on a resolution enabling Congress to initiate the passage of budgetary legislation aimed at fulfilling many of President Donald Trump’s campaign commitments.

To accomplish these initiatives—which include constructing segments of a border wall with Mexico, deporting undocumented immigrants, and extending the lower income tax rates established in 2017—Congress must provide new funding.

Amid near-universal opposition from Democrats, Republicans aim to utilize a budgetary process known as “reconciliation” to secure this funding. This approach helps them bypass procedural challenges like the Senate’s 60-vote cloture rule that generally hinders most legislation.

A reconciliation bill requires only a simple majority to pass in both chambers of Congress, a majority the Republicans currently possess.

“The budget includes securing the border, strengthening our defense, and promoting American energy. It begins this week with the passage of Chairman [Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)]’s budget,” Thune stated on X, referencing the resolution sponsored by Graham, who chairs the Senate Budget Committee.

The reconciliation process mandates that both houses of Congress adopt an identical “budget resolution” concurrently, which delineates areas for funding increases while simultaneously determining where reductions will be made. The Senate’s budget resolution proposes a minimum of $325 billion in new allocations for the U.S. military and homeland security, including immigration enforcement.

It seems unlikely that House Democrats will view a resolution favorably should it be passed. The Biden administration also relied on the reconciliation method for its $1.9 trillion 2021 American Rescue Plan for COVID-19 relief, as well as its 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, which was scaled back from $3.5 trillion to $740 billion. Both reconciliation bills received no Republican support and were passed in the Senate with Vice President Kamala Harris casting the deciding vote.

Currently, GOP leaders in both chambers are facing a challenge. The House Republican Conference has consistently expressed its opposition to the Senate’s strategy of advancing Trump’s agenda through two reconciliation bills, drafting a separate budget resolution that proposes different funding levels in an effort to consolidate everything into one package.

“For the House, utilizing a one-bill strategy is the most pragmatic approach. We have a diverse conference,” declared House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) during a news conference on Jan. 29 following a gathering of House Republicans in Doral, Florida. He confirmed on Feb. 11 that his conference’s plan includes a one-bill strategy, which is reflected in the House Budget Committee’s resolution.

The reconciliation process cannot advance unless one house adopts the other’s resolution or a compromise is negotiated and a new resolution is composed.

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