Adopting a budget resolution was a months-long slog for congressional Republicans and that was the easy part. Passing a reconciliation bill is going to be much, much harder.
“I’m very concerned,” Sen. Kevin Cramer said. “When you look at this little family squabble over something that is as basic as just starting the process, you do sort of wonder if there are people who are actually serious about a successful conclusion.”
Budget resolutions are only a means to an end: passing it unlocks the budget reconciliation process, allowing Republicans to bypass a Senate filibuster and pass much of President Donald Trump’s most ambitious policy agenda with a simple majority vote. Budget resolutions outline how much money can be spent, while reconciliation determines what the money is spent on.