The Senate approved H.Con.Res.14 in the early morning hours of Saturday, April 5, concluding a vote-a-rama that began the night before and lasted over 5 hours. The final vote was 51-48, with Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Susan Collins (R-ME) joining Democrats in opposing the resolution. Senators took roll call votes on 21 amendments and approved one amendment offered by Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK). Seven amendments also failed by voice vote, for a total of 28 considered amendments. Click here for a complete tracker of the amendments.
The House will now need to take up and pass the Senate’s budget resolution. Once concurrent resolutions are passed, the House and Senate Committees named in the resolution’s “reconciliation instructions” then begin drafting the substantive components of the reconciliation bill. Only committees named in the budget resolution may write reconciliation bills. Once all named committees mark up their segments, these will be combined into one comprehensive bill. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) will attempt to consider the Senate-passed resolution in the House next week. However, he will face an uphill battle as many House GOP lawmakers have been critical of the Senate's approach, citing concerns over the deficit. House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-TX) said the Senate's reconciliation instructions are "unserious and disappointing." He further raised concerns about the impact on the debt and the use of the current policy baseline, which he warns "sets a dangerous precedent."
