U.S. Senate Republicans will push ahead on Thursday with a measure to kickstart President Donald Trump's agenda on immigration, energy and defense, Majority Leader John Thune said on Wednesday, after Trump called on them to drop the plan in favor of a sweeping resolution prepared by House Republicans.
Trump came down firmly in favor of the House of Representatives' plan for one sweeping bill that would also include trillions of dollars in tax cuts. House Republicans fear that the Senate's "skinny" plan could diminish their chances of extending Trump's tax cuts later in their own chamber, where the party holds a narrow and fractious 218-215 majority.
"We need both Chambers to pass the House Budget to 'kickstart' the Reconciliation process, and move all of our priorities to the concept of, 'ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL'," the president wrote on social media on Wednesday morning.
After a lunch meeting with Vice President JD Vance and his own Senate Republicans, Thune told reporters that he would still go ahead with the smaller bill.
"In the end, we'll be able to, whether it's one bill or two bills, to get all the things that the president's outlined -- his objectives -- across the finish line," said Thune, adding that he expected the Senate to vote on its own blueprint on Thursday.
Some Republicans said they were confused about the plan to proceed after Trump's message.
"It seems a little strange to me," Senator Josh Hawley said.
"If the president supports it and ... I have some assurance of that, I’ll support it," the Missouri Republican added. "But it just seems a little bizarre to me. I can't quite figure out what we're doing."
Meanwhile, Democrats promised a long, drawn-out fight.
"Senate Democrats will expose Republicans' reconciliation budget bill exactly for what it is: a sinister front for clearing the way to cut taxes for Donald Trump's billionaire buddies," Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said.
The Senate measure, a $340 billion fiscal 2025 budget resolution, would boost spending by $85 billion a year for four years to fund tighter border security, Trump's deportation of immigrants in the country illegally, energy deregulation and an increase in military spending. Republicans say the plan would offset the higher spending with funding cuts in other areas.
The House budget resolution includes those same priorities along with $4.5 trillion in tax cuts, while seeking to cover the cost through $2 trillion in spending cuts and accelerated economic growth based mainly on the tax and energy policy changes it would usher in.
'FULL agenda'
Both chambers of Congress need to pass the same budget resolution to unlock the parliamentary tool that would enable Republicans to enact Trump's legislative agenda in a way that circumvents Democratic opposition and the Senate filibuster.
Republican lawmakers in recent weeks have backed away from concerns that extending Trump's 2017 tax cuts could add to the nation's fast-growing $36 trillion in debt. The nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimated that Trump's full tax cut agenda could cost more than $5 trillion over the next decade.
House Republicans welcomed Trump's intervention as they try to forge unity for a floor vote on their own budget blueprint expected next week.
"@realDonaldTrump is right! House Republicans are working to deliver President Trump’s FULL agenda - not just a small part of it. Let’s get it done, @HouseGOP!" tweeted House Speaker Mike Johnson, Thune's Republican counterpart.
The difference between the House and Senate strategies comes down to Trump's proposed tax cuts.
House Republicans fear the two-step Senate approach could lead to a stalled standalone tax cut bill if lawmakers cannot agree on offsetting cuts in spending. Senate Republicans worry that the rush for all-encompassing legislation may not provide enough time to adequately handle the intricacies of the tax component.
Senate Republicans began moving forward with their own budget resolution last week in response to what they described as a plea for border and immigration funding from Trump "border czar" Tom Homan and White House budget director Russ Vought.
