By Todd Lassa
The Senate adopted a budget framework for a border security and defense package early Friday morning, 52-48, after pulling an all-nighter, with Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) joining the Democratic minority in voting “nay.” Debate over the framework, which will allow Senate Republicans to pass a budget with a simple majority, reveals “cracks” in GOP unity, Roll Call reports. House Republicans have an even rougher road ahead.
“We’re one step closer to fixing a problem that all Americans want to fix,” Senate Budget Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said, stressing the need for a quick border security funding boost.
With even Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) defying his party by voting for several failed Democratic amendments, Democrats now face the question of how they might be able to manipulate the likelihood both the Senate and the House will push the fight up to March 14, when the continuing resolution funding the federal government expires. (Hawley is more of a “populist” according to Roll Call, less a Musk-AGA Republican.)
Democrats do not want a government shutdown, but neither does the Trump White House, despite DOGE’s efforts so far. President Trump prefers the House GOP’s “one big, beautiful bill.”
Beside Hawley’s defection, Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Dan Sullivan (R-AK) also sometimes voted with Democrats, according to Roll Call.
Among the failed Democratic amendments was one offered by Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, designed to block tax cuts for billionaires while food prices are increasing.
“Families lose, and billionaires win,” said Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), ranking member of the Budget Committee.
To the House … The House next week takes up its version of the budget resolution, which allows for the tax cut extension and adds $300 billion to border control and defense budgets while adding $4.5 trillion to the deficit over the next 10 years. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) will pull all the stops to get his 217 fellow Republican Congress members to pass “one big, beautiful bill” – but he has just a three-vote margin over House Democrats.
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It’s Day One -- The Senate confirmed President Trump’s retribution enforcer, Kash Patel, as FBI director Thursday by 51-49 vote. Two Republicans, Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Susan Collins of Maine, voted with all Democratic senators against Patel’s confirmation (per The Hill).
Even before Trump’s official nomination of him, Patel vowed to shut down the FBI on day one and remodel its Washington headquarters into a museum of the “deep state.”