Dem
47
GOP
53
Donald Trump has ordered Congress to pass a third reconciliation bill with money for defense and the SAVE America Act. The House has a bill with a price tag of $95 billion ready to go. But senators have already said that even if it passes the House, in the Senate it is a nonstarter. Senate conservatives have said that unless the bill cuts spending by an equal amount, they are not interested in it. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) said: "I'm dubious about any reconciliation. I think the House is wishful thinking. Just talk to the appropriators over here. They don't like reconciliation because it bypasses appropriations. I'd be shocked if it's possible."
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) doesn't like the idea of the SAVE America Act now. He thinks that making the states scramble to comply so close to an election will lead to chaos. He said: "If I see a reconciliation bill come from the House with another failed attempt to confuse this election, I will use every device I have available to slow down the wheels of government until people cop a clue and do the math." Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), who no longer has to fear a primary, said: "Our national debt is a runaway train." That doesn't sound like a "yes" vote to us. Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said that if a bill comes over from the House, Democrats will propose one poison-pill amendment after another, forcing members to vote no on things that are actually very popular back home, such as restoring the cuts made to SNAP (food stamps) that the Big Beautiful Bill made. He doesn't want his members taking dozens of tough votes that will feature prominently in Democratic ads almost immediately.
Another complication is the fact that the chairman of the House Budget Committee, Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-TX), was busily conferring with the chairman of the Senate Budget Committee. Those discussions abruptly stopped because the Senate chairman, Lindsey Graham, suddenly died. The new chairman is Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), a budget hawk. He is not going to approve spending another $95 billion without spending cuts. Getting spending cuts approved is a time-consuming and laborious process because every federal program has its defenders and getting 51 votes is never easy. (V)