Senator Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina Republican who relishes being in the middle of the action, is leapfrogging the House G.O.P., which is still tied in knots over a budget blueprint.

The House GOP says it's ready to go first on reconciliation, warning it won't even consider the Senate GOP's bill on the border, energy and defense. Why it matters: This escalates the strategic fight between the two chambers over how to get the Trump tax cuts extended past this year — while also adding billions in spending on deportation infrastructure and the military.