Reporters surround Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) as he moves between his office and the Senate Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on Aug. 1, 2025 in Washington. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
"I just think we need to set an example, and when we're increasing our spending 6% and others less," Kennedy said on the Senate floor. "We're sending a message that we're special, and I don't think we are."
Now it heads to the House, where Republicans are already incensed that the Senate's bills go over their approved spending levels.
The advancement of the bills is a victory for members of the Senate Appropriations Committee and for Republican leadership, who are working to ward off a possible government shutdown as tensions over the "big, beautiful bill" and President Donald Trump’s $9 billion clawback package linger. It's also the first time since 2018 that the upper chamber passed spending bills before September.
SENATE WEATHERS DEM OPPOSITION, ADVANCES FIRST GOVERNMENT FUNDING BILL
President Donald Trump arrives to South Lawn of the White House from Camp David on June 9, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc)
While passing the spending package out of the upper chamber proved a bright spot, lawmakers are still looking for a path forward in confirming a slew of Trump’s nominees.
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The president re-upped his call for Senate Republican leadership to cancel recess to pass each nominee on the Senate’s calendar, which has now ballooned to over 150 picks, as Democrats continue their blockade of the process.
Lawmakers are set to vote on a trio of nominees Friday night and are expected to run through nearly a dozen more over the weekend, unless a deal is made.
Alex Miller is a writer for Fox News Digital covering the U.S. Senate.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/gridlock-crumbles-senate-advances-spending-bills-race-against-shutdown