Republicans race toward budget deadline

Republicans are scrambling to meet a key budget deadline set for tomorrow, triggering a marathon of late-night votes and revealing fractures within the party over proposed spending cuts.

(CNN)- Republicans are scrambling to meet a key budget deadline set for tomorrow, triggering a marathon of late-night votes and revealing fractures within the party over proposed spending cuts.

At the center of the push is a rescissions package backed by President Donald Trump — aimed at codifying cuts to foreign aid and public broadcasting. The proposal, made possible under a presidential budget law that allows for simple majority passage in the Senate, sparked an overnight vote-a-rama as lawmakers tried to finalize the measure.

“You want everybody as much as possible to play team ball,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R), “but everybody’s vote is their own.”

Despite Republican control, not all members are on board. Three GOP senators broke ranks during a key procedural vote, prompting Vice President J.D. Vance to cast the tie-breaking vote: “The Senate being equally divided, the vice president votes in the affirmative.” Among the dissenters was Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), who cited concerns for rural communities: “I come from a state where access to other forms of information and communication may be limited.”

Meanwhile, the House worked late into the night, juggling the rescissions measure alongside major cryptocurrency legislation. The proposed crypto bill seeks to lay a foundation for future regulation of digital assets.

“It’s gonna lay the groundwork for crypto to become as powerful an investment vehicle as it is going to be allowed to become,” said author Shelly Palmer.

Some Republicans, however, are withholding support unless the bill includes a clear stance against Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC). That internal debate led to a procedural delay, breaking records for the longest House vote in modern history.