WASHINGTON —The Senate is moving forward with its own budget reconciliation package after negotiations stalled earlier this week among House Republicans, prompting impatience among those who want to move quickly on President Donald Trump’s agenda.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., released text of his budget resolution on Friday, beating out House Republicans who met for hours behind closed doors the day and night before in an attempt to finalize their own reconciliation blueprint. The legislation comes just days after Graham said he would no longer wait for the House to craft a single reconciliation package, noting instead he would move forward with one bill focused specifically on the southern border and national defense — leaving the more complex tax policies for later.
“To those who voted for and support real border security and a stronger defense in a troubled world, help is on the way,” Graham said in a post on X. “This budget resolution jumpstarts a process that will give President Trump’s team the money they need to secure the border and deport criminals, and make America strong and more energy independent.”
The spending package would specifically allocate funds toward hiring more ICE agents, investing in technology to secure the border, increase bed space and continue border wall construction. It’s not yet clear what a top-line number would be, but Graham said on Friday the projected annual spending number would be $85.5 billion offset by roughly $85.5 billion in reduced annual spending.
The House Budget Committee was initially expected to draft budget instructions earlier this week, which would lay out the top-line spending numbers for individual committees to begin crafting their portions of the spending package. However, that meeting was postponed after hardline conservatives balked at GOP leadership’s proposals, arguing cuts were not steep enough to address the national deficit.
Republican leaders met with Trump at the White House on Thursday, a meeting that lasted roughly five hours and failed to result in an agreement. Lawmakers then reconvened in the speaker’s office for another hourslong meeting, emerging late Thursday night with optimism they were closer to a deal.
However, that did little to assuage concerns in the Senate — prompting Republicans in the upper chamber to move forward without them.
“I understand the desire for one big, beautiful bill, but that just wasn’t going to happen,” Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., told reporters on Wednesday. “It’s too complex.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., initially brushed off the Senate’s proposal, telling reporters he would speak with Graham to move forward with the original plan for one massive spending bill.
“He has to understand the reality of the House. It’s a very different chamber with very different dynamics,” Johnson said. “The House needs to lead this if we’re going to have success.”
The House still plans to move forward with their own resolution, a lawmaker familiar with the process told the Deseret News. The goal is to get that resolution passed through the Budget Committee next week.
It’s not yet clear how quickly the Senate can move on their budget blueprint. But the finalized text for a blueprint gives the upper chamber a head start for Senate committees to begin crafting a final package.
The Senate Budget Committee is scheduled to mark up the resolution on Wednesday and Thursday, according to Graham’s office.
It’s also unclear if a reconciliation bill focused solely on the border would make it through the House as some Republicans have warned against splitting the process into two, arguing the policies implemented in Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act would expire if they are not included in the first go-around. Portions of those cuts are scheduled to lapse at the end of 2025.
But some hardliners, such as Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, indicated he would be open to moving an initial package first.
“We’ll see what they do,” Roy said on Wednesday. “If the Senate moves something that’s good, maybe we take that while we continue to work on tax and spending.”