Senate approves budget plan for Trump's agenda

The Senate passed a budget resolution after a grueling late-night session. The bill passed early Saturday morning. Late into the night, lawmakers voted 51-48 to pass the resolution, with two prominent Republicans opposing the measure.

The new budget bill is an important step for congressional Republicans who want to pass President Trump's agenda on taxes, energy and the border.

The text now moves to the House of Representatives, where Republicans hold a slim majority. The so-called branch vote began Friday night and lasted until after 2 a.m. Saturday, with Democrats forcing Republicans to take tough votes on a variety of issues, from tariffs to Medicaid cuts.

"This resolution is the first step toward a final bill to make permanent the tax relief we implemented in 2017 and deliver a transformational investment in our border, national and energy security" Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, the majority leader, said before the vote in remarks picked up by The New York Times.

Meanwhile, Sen. Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-La.), issued a statement in which he explained his vote in favor of the Republican budget resolution and President Trump's agenda.

"President Trump wants to balance the budget and decrease our debt. I agree," Cassidy said in a brief statement.

For his part, Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer argued that the amendments were intended to "give Republicans a chance" to rein in a number of President Donald Trump's policies.

"Our amendments will give Republicans the chance to join us in hitting the kill switch on Donald Trump’s tariffs, on DOGE, on the attacks against Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid," Schumer asserted Friday night before the start of the vote.