Graham claims sole authority to decide if GOP megabill complies with budget laws

The Senate’s presiding Republican chair has ruled that Senate Budget Committee Chair Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has the sole authority to decide if provisions of the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act violate the 1974 Congressional Budget Act or other budget laws, a controversial ruling Democrats tried to overturn but failed.

Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), who was presiding over the Senate at the time, ruled that the chair will not sustain any budgetary points of order against the massive bill unless Graham as Budget chair says they are valid objections — drastically limiting the power of Democrats, who are in the minority.

Hagerty announced the presiding chair “must rely on determinations made by the Budget Committee in assessing the budgetary effects” of the 940-page Senate bill, which Graham has determined will not add to future deficits by extending the 2017 tax cuts, according to a “current policy” baseline.

Hagerty said unless Graham asserts that a provision of the bill or an amendment causes a violation of the 1974 Budget Act, the presiding chair will not sustain any budgetary point-of-order objection against the bill.

Graham told colleagues that his exercise of power over the bill was justified by Section 312 of the Congressional Budget Act.

Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), the ranking member of the Budget Committee, immediately appealed the ruling.

He pointed to a letter he received from Congressional Budget Office Director Phillip Swagel asserting the Finance Committee portion of the bill would increase federal deficit by $3.5 trillion between 2025-34 and increase deficits beyond the 10-year budget window, which ends in 2034.

“The ability of the chair to create a phony baseline has never been used in reconciliation, not ever,” Merkley argued.

“This breaks a 51-year tradition of the Senate for honest numbers,” he declared.

Merkley’s appeal of the chair’s ruling empowering Graham failed by a party-line vote; senators rejected it by a vote of 53-47.

The Senate is holding a daylong series of amendment and other votes on the GOP tax and spending bill that is expected to culminate with a vote on final passage Monday night.