By Gabriella Borter
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Senate passed a Republican bill promoting President Donald Trump’s immigration, energy and defense policies in the early hours of Friday morning, despite Trump’s preference for a House of Representatives version of the bill that would include trillions of dollars in tax cuts.
The Senate’s narrower resolution, which marks Republicans’ most sweeping legislative win since Trump took office, orders Congress to spend more money on defense and Trump’s hardline immigration and border security policies, while also encouraging more development of fossil fuels.
The vote tally was 52-48. All Republicans supported it except Senator Rand Paul, who had introduced an unsuccessful amendment to require spending cuts.
Trump this week came down firmly in favor of House Republicans’ plan for a single sweeping bill, which includes extending $4.5 trillion in tax cuts. House Republicans have a narrow and fractious 218-215 majority, which will make passing that bill difficult.
The Senate’s bill, which leaves the issue of Trump’s desired extension of his 2017 tax cuts to a later date, will serve as a backup in case House Republicans cannot come to an agreement on how to pay for the tax cuts in their bill without slashing funding for popular safety net programs like Medicaid and Social Security or adding significantly to the country’s $36 trillion debt.
“I hope we can get one big, beautiful bill in the House, but we need to act on border security and national security now. We’re running out of time,” Senate Budget Chair Lindsey Graham said after debate on amendments had concluded around 4:30 AM (0930 GMT).
Trump has said he does not want to touch the safety net programs while also pushing for tax cuts, presenting competing desires that congressional Republicans are struggling to translate into budget reality.
The Senate measure, a $340 billion fiscal 2025 budget resolution, boosts 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.
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.
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 leaders in the House hope to advance their version of a budget outline next week.
AMENDMENT MARATHON
Only two amendments to the bill were adopted, both introduced by Republicans. Their sponsors said they were aimed at reducing excessive regulatory burdens and federal spending, and safeguarding Medicaid and Medicare.
“I know my Democratic colleagues are going to try tonight to use scare tactics to message that Republicans don’t support these vital programs, but we do,” Republican Senator Dan Sullivan said upon introducing his amendment.
Democratic Senator Ron Wyden spoke in opposition to Sullivan’s amendment, saying it would do “nothing to stop Republicans from cutting these essential healthcare programs.”
Senate Democrats, who are in the minority and had little chance of stopping the budget plan’s passage, opposed it in an all night “vote-a-rama” session by filing unsuccessful amendment after amendment and giving floor speeches accusing Republicans of selling out American families to ultimately give tax breaks to the wealthy.
Among the dozens of proposed and blocked Democratic-sponsored amendments were ones aiming to prohibit tax cuts for those earning over $1 billion annually, to prevent reductions in funding and staffing necessary to respond to the bird flu epidemic, and to keep seniors from losing healthcare benefits due to potential Medicaid cuts.
(Reporting by Gabriella Borter; Editing by Susan Fenton)
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