Washington — House Republicans released a budget resolution on Wednesday, laying a foundation for advancing President Trump’s agenda on border security, defense, energy and tax priorities, despite momentum around a competing proposal in the Senate.
The budget proposal says that the House Ways and Means Committee can pursue up to $4.5 trillion in tax cuts, and sets a goal of cutting mandatory spending by $2 trillion. It would also increase the debt ceiling by $4 trillion.
The long-awaited budget resolution comes as congressional leaders have been pursuing a massive legislative package under the budget reconciliation process that would enact Mr. Trump’s agenda, including resources to bolster border security, extend some of the 2017 tax cuts, incentivize domestic manufacturing and invest in American energy, while working to trim government programs and address the debt limit.
In the House, the process has faced delays amid intraparty disagreement on how to proceed. And the stalled progress in the lower chamber has prompted the Senate to move ahead with its own proposal in recent days, with a markup taking place Wednesday and Thursday.
The House Budget Committee is also set to begin marking up its newly released budget resolution on Thursday, as House Republicans look to keep pace with the competing Senate proposal.
While House Republicans are pursuing one reconciliation package, Senate Republicans have advocated for a two-package approach, splitting border security, defense and energy from the tax components. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican who chairs the Senate Budget Committee, is leading the charge in the upper chamber and outlined to reporters Tuesday that while he supports the House’s effort to approve a single package, lawmakers can’t wait to iron out the complicated tax details.
“I wish you the best, I want one big beautiful bill,” Graham said to his House colleagues. “But I cannot and will not go back to South Carolina and justify not supporting the president’s immigration plan. We’re not building a wall, folks, we’re hitting a wall. They need the money and they need it now.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters after the House budget was released Wednesday morning that it remains to be seen how the development will affect the Senate’s path forward, saying he met with House Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday and “we’re coordinating.”
“Members on our side have been prepared to act for awhile,” Thune said. “So we’ll see what the House is able to get done and produce and then we’ll go from there.”
contributed to this report.