Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said the House-approved budget is only a starting point and needs a lot of work.
Meeting with reporters following the close approval vote in the House, Graham said he appreciated the work of the House, but the budget bill falls short.
In a statement posted on the senator's web page, he rejects the House tax framework being used.
“I look forward to working with the House to strengthen the tax cut provisions by making them permanent in order to meet President [Donald] Trump’s priorities," he said. "I will also ensure the Department of Homeland Security gets the $175 billion in funding they need to secure the border."
Graham said the budget needs immediate Senate attention.
“Time is of the essence when it comes to border security," he said. "ICE will run out of money in weeks, not months. Stalling President Trump’s border security agenda is not only bad politics, it is dangerous.”
The issue of which tax baseline to use in arriving at budget numbers is key to how Senate leaders look at the House plan.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, said he favors using a "current policy" baseline, instead of the "current law" approach approved by the House, according to The Hill.
"Oh no," Sen. Crapo told The Hill, when asked if the Senate would accept the House budget without a rewrite.
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