Trump’s legislative demand falls flat with Senate GOP

Republicans say a budget framework passed last week by the House to enact $73 billion in new defense spending and fund reforms in the SAVE America Act is not close to ready to move in the Senate, despite President Trump’s demand that it pass before the August recess.

Senate Republicans said Wednesday the House-passed proposal doesn’t have the 50 votes it needs to advance and warn it would take weeks of work to put together a resolution that could both unify their divided conference and pass muster with the Senate parliamentarian.

The rejection of Trump’s demand that the Senate pass a budget framework before leaving for a five-week recess will further fuel escalating tensions between the White House and Senate Republicans. “Right now, we don’t have 50,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) warned after Trump renewed his pressure on the Senate to act on the House-passed budget resolution.

Trump did not seem at all pleased with that statement Wednesday, declaring that the lack of a path for budget reconciliation 3.0 is “too bad” for Thune and “too bad” for the Republican Party.

He insisted that Thune has the votes and should get the job done.

Trump demanded Tuesday night that the Senate to pass the House-approved resolution before leaving for the recess.

“I am calling on the Senate to get this critical first step done before the August recess. This Resolution can be adopted at a simple Majority threshold. GET IT DONE!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Republican senators, however, voiced their objections Wednesday to moving forward with budget votes before the recess without a clear plan of what would be in the reconciliation package and what amendment votes Democrats would force them to take few weeks before the midterm elections.

“I don’t think we’re ready to do” anything at the moment, said Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine), who wants to instead spend the time before the August recess working on a continuing resolution to fund the government through Dec. 4.  

“Seems to me our priority has got to be passing a continuing resolution. We’re........

© The Hill