Senate Budget Committee
US Senate committee that drafts the annual budget resolution governing reconciliation bills.
Last refreshed: 17 July 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Timeline for Senate Budget Committee
Approved the FY2027 reconciliation budget resolution 20-14
US Midterms 2026: House panel clears voter-ID budget routeThune reported to pick Johnson as chair
US Midterms 2026Mentioned in: Graham dies at 71, vacating Budget chair
US Midterms 2026Background
The Senate Budget Committee lost its chairman, Lindsey Graham, when he died on 11 July 2026 . Majority Leader John Thune is reported, though not yet confirmed, to be installing Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin as successor .
Created by the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974, the Committee drafts Congress's annual budget resolution and is the chamber's entry point for reconciliation, the process that lets budget-related bills pass the Senate with a simple majority rather than the 60 votes needed to break a filibuster. Since the Senate adopted the Byrd Rule in 1985 and 1986, the Committee has also policed which provisions in a reconciliation bill are germane to the budget and which must be stripped out.
The vacancy lands at an awkward moment. Graham's death, combined with Senate Republicans' present floor strength falling to 51-47 , narrows the majority just as the House Budget Committee has cleared its own version of a reconciliation vehicle carrying voter-ID grant conditions , the route Republicans are using to try to move SAVE Act-style provisions without 60 votes.
