The Senate Budget Committee, chaired by Graham, released the text of a budget resolution Friday that would provide hundreds of billions in money for defense and border security.

The resolution is the first step to passing two major bills through budget reconciliation, a legislative process that bypasses the filibuster so legislation only requires a simple majority vote in the Senate.

The House has a separate plan to pass just one such bill, wrapping in tax reform, but House leaders struggled to reach a deal on spending cuts this week, the first setback in Johnson’s aggressive timetable.

That delay could be temporary – the Freedom Caucus has been negotiating up to $2.5 trillion in offsets, and those talks are close to concluding. But Graham views a mega-bill that includes tax reform as too cumbersome to pass in Trump’s first 100 days and has decided to proceed anyway. 

The Budget Committee will meet on Wednesday and Thursday to advance the blueprint, Graham announced. From there, the relevant committees will get to work on crafting the actual reconciliation bill, with a projected total of $342 billion to be spent on defense and border security over the next four years.

The budget resolution instructs committees to offset that same amount with spending reductions elsewhere. It will also include energy reforms, specifically by undoing a Biden-era methane emissions fee and opening up energy leasing.

“To those who voted for and support real border security and a stronger defense in a troubled world, help is on the way,” Graham said in a statement. “This budget resolution jumpstarts a process that will give President Trump’s team the money they need to secure the border and deport criminals, and make America strong and more energy independent.”

Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), the GOP majority whip, declined to say how quickly the Senate might pass its reconciliation bill, telling reporters on Thursday night that he first wants to consult with Trump on the path forward.

Senate Republicans will be heading to Mar-a-Lago for a Friday night dinner where reconciliation will be discussed. 

But Graham previously indicated to the Washington Examiner he expects the process to take weeks, not months. 

A Budget Committee summary of the legislation details money for the border wall, additional detention beds, and the hiring of new Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

Defense funding would be directed toward nuclear deterrence and an “integrated air and missile defense” system, among other priorities.

Graham’s decision to move ahead defies the will of Johnson, who has stressed to Graham directly that the House should act first. Trump, for his part, marginally prefers the single-bill approach but is open to punting tax reform until later in the year.

Given his one-seat majority, Johnson views a single bill as the most realistic path. He has set an ambitious goal of sending the legislation to Trump’s desk by Memorial Day.

“If we put this on a short timetable and we move it as quickly and aggressively as we are planning to do, we can accomplish the entire agenda in one big, beautiful bill, and that’s what I think is the best prospect,” Johnson said Friday morning, according to the Hill.

He told reporters that he’s been playing “phone tag” with Graham over the last 36 hours.

The House had initially planned on marking up its budget resolution this week, but the Freedom Caucus wanted upfront commitments on how its provisions would be offset.

House leadership does not expect their blueprint to be released before the weekend.