FIRST ON FOX: The Senate will look to beat House Republicans to the punch next week on a first bill in the key budget reconciliation process that would address the budget, defense and energy.
Ahead of a weekly lunch meeting hosted by Senate Steering Committee Chairman Rick Scott, R-S.C., a plan was unveiled by Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., to push for a vote next week on a first bill, with plans for an additional reconciliation bill later in the year, a Senate Republican source told Fox News Digital.
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This plan would effectively skip over the House, which usually takes action on such legislation first.
It would also shift gears to a two-pronged reconciliation bill blueprint, in opposition to what many House Republicans have favored in a large, one-bill approach.
Graham has notably been liaising with the House Freedom Caucus leaders on the subject all week, two sources told Fox News Digital. The caucus has notably preferred a two-pronged approach, in line with many Senate Republicans.
Worry about this scenario playing out had already begun to surface in the House Republican conference. “I think there’s a lot of frustration right now,” one GOP lawmaker told Fox News Digital.
“They’ve been trying to be inclusive, but not every open forum they’ve offered is giving members the ability to say, ‘I feel like people are listening to me,’ because I don’t know that’s the case right now.”
They added, “There’s some concern now that if we don’t move forward with something soon, that the Senate is going to jam us.”
Trump has espoused a preference for a one bill approach previously but held off from demanding it. He noted to lawmakers that he wanted to get the reconciliation process done and to do so quickly, leaving it in Congress’ hands.
The Senate GOP source shared that senior White House staffers were present at the steering lunch on Wednesday.
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