The U.S. Senate in the early hours of Feb. 21 passed a budget resolution that forms the template of a plan to fund President Donald Trump’s policy initiatives, even as the president himself has rejected that plan.
Implementing Trump’s campaign promises—such as the removal of illegal immigrants from the United States, constructing a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico, and extending tax deductions made by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017—requires Congress to pass legislation.
Republicans have turned to the budget reconciliation process to authorize funding for Trump’s plans because the method bypasses the Senate filibuster rule that requires 60 senators to advance legislation.
Reconciliation bills, which only apply to measures related to taxation, spending, and public borrowing, require a simple majority to pass in the upper chamber.
The bills also cannot increase the deficit after 10 years, and cannot include pure policy reforms—such as changes to asylum laws—that Trump also seeks.
To begin the reconciliation process, the Senate and House of Representatives must pass a budget resolution that sets funding levels for the fiscal year and instructs committees to make recommendations for spending increases or cuts.
The Senate passed its version of the resolution by a vote of 52-48.
“We’re … jumpstarting a process that will allow the Republican Party to meet President Trump’s immigration agenda,” said Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), the resolution’s sponsor, during a debate on the measure. “We’re going to use it to secure our border. Without this resolution passing, there’s no hope.”
The resolution has been rejected by Trump, who prefers the resolution being considered by the House.
The Senate plan calls for two reconciliation bills, with the second being focused on the politically complicated issues of taxation and the sovereign debt limit that are dividing Senate Republicans at present.
The House’s plan would have just one—a decision that House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has explained is due to the fragile consensus in his conference.
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