Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., one of President-elect Donald Trump's closest allies in the Senate, is urging fellow Republicans to push for strong economic and border security laws should they keep control of the House, The Hill reported Wednesday.
He suggested passing the laws through budget reconciliation, which lets the Senate approve certain types of legislation with a simple majority vote instead of the 60 votes it takes to break a filibuster. The process is often used to make it easier to pass budget-related bills, especially if a party controls the House and Senate.
Graham posted on X that budget reconciliation is "the best vehicle to jump-start the economy and help secure the border.”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Senate GOP Whip John Thune, R-S.D., and incoming Senate Finance Chair Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, are preparing to extend tax cuts from the Trump administration, which are set to expire next year.
The 2017 cuts were one of Trump's major achievements during his first term, and Republicans want to keep them going, while discussing how much extra tax relief they might add. Trump has proposed about $8 trillion in new tax cuts over the next decade.
McConnell, who will be stepping down as the GOP Senate leader in the next Congress, also said the Senate will keep the filibuster, telling reporters Wednesday, according to The Hill: "I think one of the most gratifying results of the Senate becoming Republican, the filibuster will stand, there won't be any new states admitted to give a partisan advantage to the other side, and we'll quit beating up the Supreme Court every time we don't like a decision they make."