Senate GOP pushes Trump budget framework through after marathon vote series

Susan Collins and Rand Paul were the only Republicans to oppose the measure.

The Senate passed a framework for a sweeping bill promoting President Donald Trump’s agenda after an hourslong series of amendment votes during which Democrats sought to put Republicans on record on issues like tariffs and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

It passed mostly along party lines in a 51 to 48 vote around 2:30 a.m. ET on Saturday morning. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Rand Paul, R-Ky., were the only two Republicans to join Democrats in opposing the measure.

The amended framework would raise the debt ceiling by up to $5 trillion within the reconciliation process, taking future leverage away from Senate Democrats. It would also make Trump’s 2017 tax cuts permanent by using what’s called a current policy baseline that Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., decides.

The scoring tool essentially means the cost of making Trump’s tax cuts permanent would be factored at $0 because it extends current policy, rather than counting it as new dollars being added to the federal deficit.

Some conservatives have signaled they’re wary of using that method, however.

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said on the Senate floor ahead of the vote series, “I have been assured that there is a commitment and other ways to pay for the eventual reconciliation bill.”

“Now, I am not saying that I think that it is better that we use current policy as baseline. It’s never been done before in a setting like this. I think it establishes a dangerous precedent. It might be within the rules to do so, but it doesn’t mean it’s wise to do so,” he said.

Some House conservatives have gone so far as to call it a “gimmick.”

Related Posts

REPORT: Bombshell Evidence Emerges In Jan 6 Pipe Bomb Case

REPORT: Bombshell Evidence Emerges In Jan 6 Pipe Bomb Case

A new investigation from The Blaze has uncovered evidence that challenges the mainstream media narrative about the pipe bombs that were found in DC on January 6th,…

BREAKING: ICE Agents Shot At In Ambush Attack, Suspects At-Large

BREAKING: ICE Agents Shot At In Ambush Attack, Suspects At-Large

A group of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents were shot at while conducting immigration enforcement operations in Chicago in what appears to have been a…

NFL Star Extradited To US On Attempted Murder Charge After Months On The Run

NFL Star Extradited To US On Attempted Murder Charge After Months On The Run

Former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown is back in U.S. custody after being extradited from Dubai to face charges of attempted second-degree murder with a deadly weapon,…

REPORT: Thousands Blocked From Voting On Election Day In Key State

REPORT: Thousands Blocked From Voting On Election Day In Key State

An astonishing Election Day blunder in Chester County locked out tens of thousands of voters, thanks to a bureaucratic mix-up that left third-party and unaffiliated residents off…

ICE Reaches Out to NYPD Officers Upset Over Mamdani Win

ICE Reaches Out to NYPD Officers Upset Over Mamdani Win

The Department of Homeland Security has reached out to New York City police officers disgruntled by anti-cop socialist Zohran Mamdani’s Tuesday mayoral victory in a bid to…

Gov. Hochul just CRUSHED Zohran Mamdani’s socialist fantasy – saying there’s “NO CHANCE” !!

Gov. Hochul just CRUSHED Zohran Mamdani’s socialist fantasy – saying there’s “NO CHANCE” !!

New York Governor Kathy Hochul delivered a sharp rebuke to newly elected Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s economic platform on Tuesday, signaling a major rift within the state’s Democratic…