Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) announced on July 21 that the Senate will not immediately take up a House-passed budget resolution until after government funding legislation is approved. The Senate GOP plans to hold the budget resolution as a backup to avoid a potential government shutdown in September if Democrats do not cooperate on a continuing resolution (CR).
House Republicans are set to pass a $95 billion budget resolution on July 21, their third attempt at reconciliation. The resolution includes instructions for multiple House committees to mark up legislation but lacks spending offsets, which could draw criticism from fiscal conservatives. The resolution must pass both chambers to unlock the reconciliation process, allowing tax, spending, and debt-related legislation to pass with a simple majority in the Senate.
Thune acknowledged that the Senate may delay voting on the budget resolution until September if a CR is not passed first. He noted that Senate Republicans could amend the House’s budget resolution to fund the government if necessary. Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) framed the budget resolution as a vehicle to achieve key objectives, though some Republicans have criticized the plan.
House Republicans proposed a CR to fund the government until December 4, but its passage remains uncertain due to potential Democratic opposition. Senate Democrats previously filibustered a short-term funding bill in 2023, leading to a 43-day shutdown. Thune expressed hope that bipartisan negotiations would prevent a repeat of that scenario.