Senate Republicans passed their own budget resolution early Friday, thus defying their House counterparts, who’ve already forged ahead with their own Trump-preferred resolution.
The difference between their budget resolutions is that the House one is an all-encompassing omnibus that would cover every aspect of President Donald Trump’s comprehensive agenda, including taxes. The Senate’s resolution would instead just cover his top priorities, including immigration, national security, and energy production.
“[T]his particular budget resolution … addresses the president’s priority, top priority, which is securing the border and implementing and putting in place his immigration policies, rebuilding our military, and creating energy dominance for this country,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters Wednesday.
The House and the Senate want the same outcome: to quickly pass @POTUS’ full agenda.
That is why the Senate is here working and moving forward on Chairman @LindseyGrahamSC’s budget resolution that will preserve optionality and unlock the process to provide the necessary… pic.twitter.com/5exMnnnTsu
— Leader John Thune (@LeaderJohnThune) February 19, 2025
Why the difference?
“Senate Republicans … want the party to score an early win on issues important to voters, like the border, before moving on to address tax policy, a thorny issue that may take longer – and prove more challenging – for the party to thread the needle,” CNN notes.
Senate Republicans moved forward with the resolution despite President Trump posting a Truth Social post on Wednesday calling on both chambers to pass his entire agenda, “not just parts of it.”
“[U]nlike the Lindsey Graham version of the very important Legislation currently being discussed, the House Resolution implements my FULL America First Agenda, EVERYTHING, not just parts of it!” he wrote.
“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.’ It will, without question, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” he added.
Trump nevertheless gave a shout-out to Senate Democrats on Thursday, hours before their pivotal vote on the budget resolution.
“Thank you to Majority Leader John Thune, and the Republican Senate, for working so hard on funding the Trump Border Agenda,” he wrote on Truth Social. “We are setting records, the likes of which have never been seen before, on stopping criminal illegals aliens from entering our Country. Put simply, we are delivering for the American People, far faster and, more successfully, than anyone thought possible. Your work on funding this effort is greatly appreciated!”
Vice President JD Vance meanwhile reportedly has outright endorsed the resolution.
“The decision to move forward with the Senate’s alternative budget plan … was blessed by Vice President JD Vance,” Fox News reported, citing an anonymous source.
Senate Democrats meanwhile tried to make their counterparts look bad by proposing a bunch of mostly stupid amendments, some of which did attract the votes of a few select Republicans.
“GOP Sen. Susan Collins of Maine backed an amendment blocking tax cuts for billionaires while food prices remain high, and GOP Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri voted with Democrats for a measure meant to lower housing costs by easing hedge funds out of buying up single family homes,” according to CNN.
Schumer Amendment failed 49-51 mainly along party lines
60 votes threshold needed to pass
2 Republicans → Sens. Collins (ME) & Hawley (MO) joined all 47 Democrats to vote in favor of Schumer Amendment pic.twitter.com/UsYvIAwiRS
— Mona Salama  (@ByMonaSalama) February 21, 2025
Senate Democrats even tried throwing Ukraine into the mix by proposing a pointless, virtue-signaling amendment in support of the nation, but even pro-Ukraine senators like Senate Armed Services chair Roger Wicker knew better.
“There is no greater supporter of Ukraine in this Senate than I am, but this is not the right fit,” he reportedly said. “There is a place to talk about Ukraine. It’s not this place.”
#BREAKING: House Speaker Mike Johnson says Senate Border Bill is “dead on arrival” pic.twitter.com/GaTFZLnL84
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) February 6, 2024
Because of all the amendments Democrats proposed, it reportedly took all night — from Thursday to Friday morning — to pass the budget resolution.
“You can expect a late night with a lot of amendments to point out this whole painful exercise is being done to strip money out of the Treasury to give big favors to billionaires,” Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse whined to the media.
The only problem going forward is that House Speaker Mike Johnson has said that any two-pronged Senate bill that fails to address taxes is “dead on arrival.”
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V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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