The Senate passed a budget bill in the wee hours Friday morning, following an all-night “vote-a-rama” session in which Democrats forced the chamber to vote on nearly three dozen doomed amendments. The final vote on the bill was 52-48, with all Republicans except Sen. Rand Paul voting in favor.
The partisan bill would provide about $340 billion in funding for border security and the military, and includes language intended to help the oil and gas industry. Paul’s vote against the bill was a protest against lawmakers’ effort to increase federal spending without clearly defined offsets. “If we were fiscally conservative, why wouldn’t we take the savings from Elon Musk and DOGE and move it over here and help with the border?” Paul asked before voting began. “Why would we be doing a brand-new bill to increase spending by $340 billion?”
The legislation isn’t going anywhere for now, given President Donald Trump’s stated preference for a “big, beautiful” House bill that addresses the same issues while also tackling tax reform, a complex and potentially vexatious topic the Senate decided to leave until later in the year.
Budget Committee Chair Lindsey Graham said the Senate bill offers the president a way to quickly deliver on some key parts of his agenda. “I hope the House can pass one big bill that meets President Trump’s priorities,” Graham said after the vote. “But this approach provides money that we needed yesterday to continue the momentum on securing our border, enforcing our immigration laws, and rebuilding our military. Time is of the essence.”
Some Republican senators doubt that the House will be able to produce one big bill. “I think the probabilities of them running into a roadblock are more than 50-50,” Sen. Mike Rounds said. “It makes it a whole lot easier if we’ve only got one bill to go through. We hope it’s doable for them. But if it’s not, then this is the next best deal. We don’t want to be stuck without any other alternatives. This doesn’t hurt.”
Sen. Josh Hawley, who broke ranks with Republicans and voted for an unsuccessful amendment that would have prohibited tax cuts for the wealthy if any money is cut from Medicaid, told The Hill that he voted for the bill only after getting Trump’s approval. Writing on social media Thursday night, Trump thanked Senate Majority Leader John Thune for working to advance his agenda.
The bottom line: The Senate took a step forward on an alternative plan to fund key parts of Trump’s agenda, but Republicans still have a long road ahead of them as they look for the winning formula on a major tax and spending bill this year.