President Trump urged Senate Republicans to adopt a $95 billion budget framework that the House approved, despite clear doubts the Senate has sufficient votes. The House plan would provide $73 billion for defense and intelligence, $12 billion for farmers and $10 billion for election reform. Passing a similar resolution in the Senate would trigger budget reconciliation, allowing passage by a simple majority and bypassing a filibuster. Senate GOP leader John Thune said he cannot currently count on 50 votes, while the White House has increased pressure as it pushes the SAVE America Act.
Trump Pushes Senate Republicans to Adopt $95B Budget Resolution as Thune Warns of Insufficient Votes
President Donald Trump is pressuring Senate Republicans to plow ahead with a $95 billion budget framework before they leave for recess in August. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI
July 24 (UPI) — President Donald Trump on Friday urged Senate Republicans to move forward with a $95 billion budget framework, even though party leaders acknowledge the measure currently lacks enough support to pass the Senate.
Earlier this week, House Republicans approved a budget resolution that would allocate $73 billion for military and intelligence agencies, $12 billion for farmers and $10 billion for election-reform measures. If the Senate adopts a similar resolution, it would trigger the budget reconciliation process, allowing related legislation to pass by a simple majority and avoid a filibuster.
Trump's appeal and White House pressure
On Truth Social, Trump urged the Senate to adopt the resolution before the August recess, saying the administration is ready to "work side-by-side with the Senate to get this done for the American People." The White House stepped up pressure throughout the week as the president pushed for passage of the election-reform SAVE America Act.
"I am asking that the Senate adopt a Budget Resolution, which can pass with a simple Majority, before leaving for the August recess. We are ready to work side-by-side with the Senate to get this done for the American People!" — President Donald Trump (Truth Social)
Senate skepticism
Senate Republican Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told reporters he is not confident the conference can reach the 50-vote threshold needed to use reconciliation. "As I've said before, you got to get to 50, and I can't count to 50 right now on a budget resolution," Thune said, adding that the conference must prioritize funding the government.
"We'll see. We'll have those conversations with the conference. The priority is funding the government — to me that's the thing we got to keep our eyes on." — Sen. John Thune
Internal GOP friction
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that Trump's patience with Thune is "running out." A day earlier, Trump had urged a crowd in Georgia to contact Thune and press for the bill. Some Republican senators warn that the push is creating internal tensions. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) called the idea that the president can command the conference to fall in line "a fantasy," saying the effort risks creating a "circular firing squad" within the party.
Why it matters
If the resolution reaches the Senate floor and a similar measure is adopted, reconciliation would allow Republicans to pursue their priority spending and policy goals with a simple majority, sidestepping the 60-vote filibuster threshold that typically governs most Senate legislation. With Thune unable to confidently count on 50 votes, however, the path forward remains uncertain.
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