Senate GOP Doubts Johnson’s $95 Billion Budget Plan as Thune Prioritizes Sept. 30 Funding Deadline
Updated
Updated · POLITICO · Jul 23
Senate GOP Doubts Johnson’s $95 Billion Budget Plan as Thune Prioritizes Sept. 30 Funding Deadline
3 articles · Updated · POLITICO · Jul 23
Summary
Senate Republicans are signaling Mike Johnson’s $95 billion House budget blueprint may stall, with John Kennedy saying John Thune is unlikely to bring it up and Thune himself declining to say he has 50 votes.
Thune and other GOP leaders are instead focused on funding the government before the Sept. 30 shutdown deadline, with Barrasso and Susan Collins backing a continuing resolution over another reconciliation push.
The math is tight: with Mitch McConnell absent, Thune can lose only two Republicans, while deficit hawks want offsets and others want more defense or farm spending than the House plan provides.
Election-year politics are adding resistance, as senators fear a vote-a-rama on farm aid, SNAP, taxes or SAVE America Act provisions could force vulnerable incumbents into difficult votes before the midterms.
Ron Johnson warned the Senate would need to adopt a budget resolution before the August recess to have any chance at a third reconciliation bill this year, but he said Republicans have not even held an organized discussion yet.