In a series of votes that started on Thursday and concluded early this morning, the Senate adopted a budget resolution that will serve as its blueprint for “budget reconciliation” legislation. Budget reconciliation is a complex special process that allows the majority party to consider legislation that only needs a simple majority to pass in the Senate, rather than the normal 60-vote threshold (eliminating the need for bipartisan compromise). A reconciliation bill can change mandatory spending, revenues, deficits or the debt limit, in line with the instructions provided in the budget resolution but is very limited related to other policy changes.
Senators voted 52-48, mostly along party lines, to advance their targeted measure. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) was the lone Republican to vote against the resolution. The marathon voting session, known as a “vote-a-rama” lasted about 10 hours, as Senate Democrats offered several amendments in an attempt to amend the resolution.
The resolution helps pave the way for Republicans to pass roughly $340 billion in funding through budget reconciliation, with an emphasis on carrying out President Trump’s border plan. “What we’re doing today is jumpstarting a process that will allow the Republican Party to meet President Trump’s immigration agenda,” said Senate Budget Committee chair Lindsey Graham (R-SC).
House Republicans will also need to pass their own budget resolution, and leaders in both chambers will need to come together to officially start the reconciliation process. House Majority Leader Steve Scalice (R-LA) and House Majority Whip Tim Emmer (R-MN) said that they intend to bring their own budget resolution to the floor next week. However, since the House is currently pursuing a different strategy than the Senate, it is unclear how the process will move forward. Ultimately,
both the House and Senate will need to pass the same resolution before Republicans can begin constructing a budget reconciliation package.
As this process continues to unfold, ACTE will keep you updated on the latest developments and its potential implications for CTE. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to ACTE’s Government Relations Manager, Jimmy Koch (jkoch@acteonline.org).
