SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
Top House Republicans are working through the weekend on a proposal to try to implement President Donald Trump's legislative priorities. Those include cuts to government programs, tax breaks and an extension of the nation's debt limit to allow for more borrowing. NPR congressional correspondent Barbara Sprunt joins us. Barbara, thanks for being with us.
BARBARA SPRUNT, BYLINE: Thank you for having me.
SIMON: What are Republicans trying to resolve?
SPRUNT: Well, they're working on how they want to pass President Trump's agenda. Things he campaigned on like security along the U.S. Southern border, extending the tax cuts passed in his first Trump administration in 2017, and then other things that Trump has asked for, like extending the federal borrowing limit. And what this comes down to, in the end, is a powerful tool called budget reconciliation.
SIMON: Powerful but complicated. Why choose that option?
SPRUNT: Exactly right. Well, the short answer is it's a way for Republicans to pass legislation without Democrats. So Republicans have 53 seats in the Senate, and Democrats aren't going to support much or any of what Trump and Republicans want to do. So it's not like Republicans can rely on seven Democrats to get them over the finish line, which is what they would need a lot of normal, as we would say, legislation. So they turn to reconciliation, which is part of the budget process that makes it possible for Congress to enact legislation on taxes and spending with a simple majority and avoid the threat of a filibuster, which requires that 60 senator number to overcome.
So yes, this is complicated, and it starts with a budget resolution, which directs different committees to change spending or deficits or revenues. Those committees all write bills to achieve their specific target, and then the budget committee puts all those bills together into one big bill that cannot be filibustered. So that's what House...
SIMON: I'm exhausted just hearing this but go ahead. Yeah.
SPRUNT: (Laughter) Yeah. So that's what House Republicans are working on right now, this blueprint for a budget resolution. But senators have their own different plan. Budget committee chairman Lindsey Graham released the Senate budget resolution on Friday ahead of a meeting last night with Trump at Mar-a-Lago.
SIMON: Republicans control both the House and the Senate, Barbara. Why pursue two different plans instead of working together?
SPRUNT: Well, each chamber has competing visions of the best path forward to implement this agenda. This has been a disagreement for months now. The Senate wants to do two bills, one for the border and energy, and the other on tax cuts. They're concerned that a tax bill could be too complicated to pass quickly. And instead, they want to move forward with things that they think they can pass relatively soon and then return later this year for that second package.
But top House Republicans want to tackle the agenda with one bill that encompasses everything. They're worried if they delay the tax element, it could be jeopardized altogether. Now, Trump himself has previously indicated a preference for the one-bill approach. But he's also said he's not as concerned about process as long as this gets done.
SIMON: And before anyone gets too comfortable, all of these negotiations are separate from the matter of funding the government, and a shutdown could loom in March, couldn't it?
SPRUNT: That's right. This is a distinct process, separate from that. But yes, funding the government beyond March is another major thing on lawmakers' plates.
SIMON: NPR's Barbara Sprunt. Thanks so much for being on the job and being with us.
SPRUNT: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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