Republicans face an internal showdown as Senate leaders push a defense and border security budget resolution while House counterparts pursue a sweeping tax overhaul. The competing strategies aim to advance Donald Trump’s priorities through Congress, though uncertainty looms over reconciliation timelines and partisan tactics.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune advanced a $342 billion proposal targeting border infrastructure, military upgrades, and Coast Guard expansions.
“Build the wall, deport illegal aliens, and create additional detention space,”declared Budget Committee Chair Lindsey Graham, framing the four-year plan as urgent for national security. Key allocations include:
- $175 billion for Homeland Security
- $150 billion for Defense
- $20 billion for Commerce programs
Meanwhile, House Republicans revived their stalled $4.5 trillion tax package, which also raises the debt ceiling. Speaker Mike Johnson’s “America First” blueprint includes $300 billion in new spending and $1.5 trillion in cuts to social programs – a strategy the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget warns could increase national debt by $4 trillion.
Trump complicated negotiations by publicly demanding House passage of the broader plan. Thune countered:
“We’re prepared to work with them... but the president likes optionality.”The Senate’s vote-arama process – an overnight marathon of amendment votes – could further delay compromises needed to bypass Democratic filibusters.
With House passage requiring near-unanimous GOP support, tensions center on proposed cuts to Medicaid and other safety nets. Analysts note both chambers ultimately must reconcile plans to trigger budget reconciliation, a rare procedural tool allowing Senate passage by simple majority.