Senate Delays Vote on Reconciliation Package

Senate Budget Committee Chairman Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) said on Aug. 7 that the Senate will not vote until September on a $95 billion budget package that includes funding for defense, farm aid, and state voter integrity measures.

The decision came after a two-hour conference meeting between Sens. Johnson, Mike Lee (R-Utah), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) on the budget package known as “Reconciliation 3.0.”

Johnson said they spoke to President Donald Trump about postponing the vote, and the president supported the decision. The senator noted that there were concerns about whether they could pass the budget resolution on Aug. 7.

“I think the conclusion of the conference, and then we had a discussion with the president—he agrees: ‘Don’t take the vote tonight, and just work diligently through August and September to do a better reconciliation vote’,” Johnson said of Trump’s response.

This is a developing story that will be updated with additional details.