Senate Republicans are tamping down expectations from their colleagues in the House and President Donald Trump to adopt a multibillion-dollar budget resolution before the August recess, warning the proposal may not have adequate support.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters this week that GOP leaders are still working to get the votes needed to approve the resolution, which seeks to provide supplemental military funding and farm aid. But those efforts have become more complicated in recent days after the White House suggested expanding the scope of the package, making the goal of the budget resolution unclear to Republican senators.
The resolution that passed the House last week carves out $95 billion for spending as well as portions of Trump’s desired proof-of-citizenship and voter ID megabill. However, the White House floated adding other provisions to the resolution, such as increasing the debt limit, that could further strain Republican support.
“Some of the things that are contemplated being done in this reconciliation bill, or in this budget resolution legislation, are things that could implicate a number of committees,” Thune said. “Obviously that creates an uphill challenge in terms of trying to ensure that you have 50 (votes).”
Republican senators met behind closed doors with White House budget director Russ Vought on Wednesday to discuss the request, after which Vought told reporters that the budget “should be tight.”
“It should be for the defense needs that we need now, for the (agriculture) needs that we need now,” Vought said. “And to get this as straight a shot to the president’s desk as possible.”
Trump has pushed the Senate to approve the resolution before it leaves Washington for the August recess period. The Senate is scheduled to adjourn on Aug. 7 and won’t return until Sept. 14.
Approving the budget blueprint is only the first step in drafting the legislation. The instructions included in the resolution only offer spending maximums for the committees involved, and lawmakers draft the actual spending legislation after it’s adopted.
However, Thune has warned there isn’t enough support to approve the budget resolution within the next week — especially as the framework currently lacks spending cuts to offset the $95 billion price tag.
“I’m not for using budget reconciliation to put us further in debt,” Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said. “If you wanted to do budget reconciliation and said, ‘We’re going to balance the budget or we’re going to reduce spending to make the deficit less large,’ those are things I’d be interested in.”
Is defense ask too low?
Other senators have also said the defense spending number is too low, arguing the budget framework should not focus solely on current military missions but should be increased substantially.
Thune has also warned about the political challenges the resolution poses. Under the budget reconciliation process, the Senate can bypass the 60-vote filibuster if the provisions pertain only to tax or spending.
However, the process allows for an unlimited number of amendments — giving Democrats an opportunity to force their Republican colleagues, particularly those up for reelection, into a corner with tough votes.
But the delay has prompted frustration from Trump, who has grown publicly impatient with Thune in recent weeks. Thune has pushed back on any suggestion the president is losing faith in him as leader, noting he is beholden to the realities of Senate math.
It’s not yet clear if the Senate will adopt the budget resolution to kickstart the reconciliation process before senators leave town for recess. If they don’t, it becomes more unlikely Republicans will be able to approve a spending framework before the midterm elections.