On Friday night, Senate Republicans kicked off a marathon voting session — known as a “vote-a-rama” — as Congress moved closer to advancing key parts of former President Donald Trump’s agenda.
Earlier in the week, Republicans introduced a new 70-page budget resolution that outlines priorities including border security, defense, energy, and tax policy.
The plan aims to make permanent the Trump-era tax cuts and proposes an additional $1.5 trillion in tax reductions. It also includes raising the debt ceiling by up to $5 trillion.
On Thursday, the Senate cleared a procedural vote with Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky as the sole Republican to break ranks, suggesting the party has the support needed to pass the resolution over the weekend.
The vote-a-rama allows Democrats to introduce an unlimited number of amendments, forcing Republicans to vote through the night on politically sensitive issues like Medicaid and tariffs.
Once all the amendments are addressed, the Senate will hold a final vote, setting up a House vote as early as next week.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer warned that the next few days would be difficult for Republicans, predicting a wave of amendments aimed at exposing GOP support for the wealthy over working families.
The budget resolution is only the first step in a broader reconciliation process, which enables lawmakers to bypass the Senate’s usual 60-vote requirement.
This path lets Republicans move forward without Democratic support, but both chambers must ultimately pass the same version of the resolution. Committees will then submit their spending proposals, a process that could take months to complete.
This latest resolution represents a compromise between House and Senate Republicans, who had previously released separate budget proposals.
However, there are still disagreements over the specifics of spending cuts. The Senate resolution sets relatively low minimum cuts for individual committees, just a few billion dollars each, while the House calls for at least $1.5 trillion in cuts over 10 years.
Senate leaders argue that the lower numbers are just floors and provide flexibility for deeper cuts later.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune defended the budget as a foundation for “transformational investment” in national priorities.
He pushed back against Democratic criticisms that the resolution favors billionaires, particularly by using a “current policy baseline” — an accounting approach that assumes the Trump tax cuts will continue and therefore don’t add new costs.
Thune argued that this method is standard practice, despite Democratic concerns. He called their objections “hysteria,” adding that their sudden concern about fiscal discipline is “touching.”
However, by law, budget measures typically use a “current law baseline,” which recognizes the scheduled expiration of the Trump tax cuts. Extending them under this baseline would add about $4.5 trillion in costs over the next decade.
Schumer slammed Republicans for pretending the tax cuts come at no cost. “Even middle school math students can see through this,” he said.
Disclaimer- Our team has thoroughly fact-checked this article to ensure its accuracy and maintain its credibility. We are committed to providing honest and reliable content for our readers.