A U.S. Senate “vote-a-rama” marathon session headed into the early hours of Saturday, with the aim of eventually handing Republican President Donald Trump sweeping legislation to cut taxes and reduce spending over staunch Democratic opposition.
Republicans and Democrats considered well over a dozen amendments aimed at altering a budget framework for Trump’s tax, border, immigration and military agenda, with a vote on the resolution expected later on Saturday.
Congress needs to pass the budget resolution to unlock a fast-track procedure to circumvent Democratic roadblocks and enact Trump’s legislation in the months ahead. If the Senate approves the measure, it will move to the House of Representatives for consideration next week.
Trump is pushing hard for Republicans, who narrowly control both chambers, to hand him what he calls “one big beautiful bill” that also would pay for additional resources for securing the U.S. border with Mexico, deporting immigrants and bolstering the military.
Some Republicans said the path forward for Trump’s agenda could be complicated by recession worries if financial markets continue to reel over the president’s tariff policy.
“My concern is, if we are having the kind of conversation today three weeks from now, then the distraction will be so great that it will slow down what we try to do,” Republican Senator Thom Tillis told reporters.
Under the rosiest scenarios, it could take months for the Senate and House to get to the point of voting on legislation to enact Trump’s tax cuts, which some estimate could add at least $5 trillion over 10 years to a national debt that is already is more than $36.6 trillion.
