The GOP controlled Senate just did the president a huge favor. He couldn’t believe it happened so quickly.
And Republican senators handed Trump a victory he was desperately waiting for.
In the early hours of Friday morning, Senate Republicans clinched a significant victory, successfully passing their preferred budget resolution aimed at advancing key priorities of President Donald Trump, including bolstering security at the southern border.
After nearly ten hours of continuous voting on a flurry of Democratic amendments, the legislation—focused on border security, energy, and defense—finally came to a vote on the Senate floor. The measure passed 52-48, with Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., standing as the lone Republican dissenter. Every Senate Democrat opposed the bill as well.
During the marathon voting session, senators weighed numerous amendments and procedural points. Eventually, two Republican-led amendments made it into the final version.
“[T]his particular budget resolution… addresses the president’s priority, top priority, which is securing the border and implementing and putting in place his immigration policies, rebuilding our military, and creating energy dominance for this country,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said to reporters ahead of the vote.
This legislative push marks a pivotal step in the budget reconciliation process, which Senate Republicans have been advancing since earlier this month. Despite expectations that House Republicans would take the lead in passing a budget first, Senate leaders—including Thune and Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.—pressed forward. Their efforts continued even after Trump voiced support for the House’s proposal on Truth Social earlier in the week.
Following the Senate’s passage of the bill, Graham issued a statement expressing his satisfaction. “As Senate Budget Committee Chairman, I’m incredibly pleased by the discipline shown by my Senate Republican colleagues to ensure that the most transformational border security bill in history can soon become a reality.”
He further urged the House to act swiftly. “I hope the House can pass one big bill that meets President Trump’s priorities. But this approach provides money that we needed yesterday to continue the momentum on securing our border, enforcing our immigration laws, and rebuilding our military. Time is of the essence.”
Vice President JD Vance reportedly gave his blessing to the Senate’s decision to push forward with its two-pronged budget plan, despite the House’s preference for a single-package approach, according to a source who spoke with Fox News Digital. Trump himself appeared supportive, writing on Truth Social, “Thank you to Majority Leader John Thune, and the Republican Senate, for working so hard on funding the Trump Border Agenda. We are setting records, the likes of which have never been seen before, on stopping criminal illegals aliens from entering our Country. Put simply, we are delivering for the American People, far faster and, more successfully, than anyone thought possible. Your work on funding this effort is greatly appreciated!”
The Senate’s procedural vote earlier in the week triggered a mandatory 50-hour debate period, which concluded Thursday night. That set the stage for a grueling “Vote-a-Rama,” allowing senators to propose and vote on an unlimited number of amendments. Democrats used the opportunity to press Republicans with politically charged votes.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., characterized the process as a revealing moment: “Tonight, one amendment at a time, Democrats exposed Republicans’ true colors here on the Senate floor. For the first time this year, Senate Republicans were forced to go on record and defend their plans to cut taxes for Donald Trump’s billionaire friends. What happened tonight was only the beginning. This debate is going to go on for weeks and maybe months. Democrats will be ready to come back and do this over and over again, because Americans deserve to know the truth.”
Schumer continued his critique, saying, “Again and again and again, Republicans sent a clear and consistent message from the Senate floor: under their agenda, billionaires win, and American families lose. If Republicans continue with this reckless plan to help their billionaire buddies at the expense of American families, Democrats will make sure the American people know the truth at every opportunity.”
The Senate GOP’s budget plan consists of two major reconciliation bills. The first includes Trump’s priorities on border security, fossil fuel energy, and national defense. A second bill, to be crafted later in the year, would address tax policy, particularly extending Trump-era tax cuts from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), which begin to expire at the end of 2025.
Reconciliation allows the majority party to bypass the usual 60-vote threshold in the Senate, instead requiring only a simple majority of 51 votes to advance budget-related policies. The House of Representatives already operates under a simple majority rule.
This process is critical for Republicans, who currently control both chambers of Congress and the White House, as they seek to enact Trump’s key policy goals.
However, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has signaled resistance to the Senate’s plan. He remains committed to including tax cuts in a single budget package rather than adopting the Senate’s two-step approach.
Though the House has managed to advance its own budget bill through the appropriate committees, a final floor vote remains unscheduled.
But overall, Trump needed to get rolling with a victory in the Senate in order to move forward with his agenda – and a victory is what he got.
Stay tuned to the Conservative Column.
