Senate advances border budget despite lone GOP holdout

The Senate passed Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham's budget resolution early Friday morning after an all-night voting session.

The bill passed the Senate 52-48 in a near-party-line vote. Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky was the only GOP senator to join all 47 Democrats in voting against the bill, citing fiscal concerns about the budget outline.

"If you follow the news, you've been seeing reports of Elon Musk and DOGE and getting rid of waste and fraud and abuse by the billions, if not trillions, of dollars," Paul said in a floor speech Thursday. "And yet, we are meeting here today because Congress, namely the Senate, wants to increase federal spending."

Graham's $340 billion budget outline is the first of the Senate's two-pronged approach to rolling out reconciliation. The proposal includes funds for defense and border enforcement, as the Senate aims to address tax policy later in a separate bill.

Graham admitted that the one-bill approach would be ideal but argued that his two-bill approach is a more immediate remedy to address the border crisis.

"This budget resolution is a complete game-changer when it comes to securing our border and making our military more lethal," Graham said in a statement Friday. "It will allow President Trump to fulfill the promises he made to the American people — a very big deal."

Although the Senate has held the lead in advancing the reconciliation process, President Donald Trump formally backed Louisiana Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson's "big beautiful bill" earlier in the week. Trump noted that although both chambers of Congress had made progress in implementing his MAGA agenda, he preferred a bill that addressed all his policy priorities in one fell swoop.

"The House and Senate are doing a SPECTACULAR job of working together as one unified, and unbeatable, TEAM, however, unlike the Lindsey Graham version of the very important Legislation currently being discussed, the House Resolution implements my FULL America First Agenda, EVERYTHING, not just parts of it!" Trump said.

Even with Trump's endorsement, members of the House won't be back in Washington, D.C., to vote on their reconciliation bill until next week.

Graham admitted that the one-bill approach would be ideal but argued that his two-bill approach is a more immediate remedy to address the border crisis.

"I hope the House can pass one big bill that meets President Trump’s priorities," Graham said. "But this approach provides money that we needed yesterday to continue the momentum on securing our border, enforcing our immigration laws, and rebuilding our military. Time is of the essence."

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