Skip to content
RollCall logo

Podcasts

Reconciliation headaches in Senate

CQ Budget, Episode No. 353

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., seen here on May 22, will be walking a tightrope to push the budget reconciliation bill through the Senate.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., seen here on May 22, will be walking a tightrope to push the budget reconciliation bill through the Senate. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)
By David Lerman and Paul M. Krawzak
Posted June 2, 2025 at 3:15pm

Republican senators want changes to the “big, beautiful” House reconciliation bill, from Medicaid to tax cuts and more. And House appropriators begin writing their fiscal 2026 spending bills while the Trump administration tries to claw back already approved funding. CQ Roll Call’s Paul M. Krawzak and David Lerman outline the fissures in the GOP reconciliation debate and the constitutional fight over the power of the purse.

Show Notes:

Recent Stories

Smoke rises from locations targeted in Tehran on Sunday, the third day of Israel's military strikes against the country.

Trump to depart G7 summit early after warning Tehran should be evacuated

Shootings of lawmakers in Minnesota have unnerved members of Congress, especially as some of their names appeared on lists connected to the alleged killer. Above, a Capitol Police officer is seen in Upper Senate Park in February.

Security concerns shake Congress in the wake of Minnesota slayings

Senate Commerce Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is seen with panel ranking member Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., before the start of a hearing on January 15. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

Senate’s spectrum proposal raises aviation safety question

Event workers disassemble a sign after then-President Joe Biden cancelled a press conference announcing the Chuckwalla National Monument in California on Jan. 7. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Justice Department says Trump can undo monument designations

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and U.S. President Donald Trump meet with fellow leaders Monday at the G7 summit in Kananaskis in the Canadian province of Alberta.

Trump urges Iran to make deal ‘before it’s too late’ in conflict with Israel

Fireworks light up the sky, the Washington Monument and the Potomac River at the conclusion of the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary celebration in Washington on Saturday. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

Photos from the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary parade