Senate Republicans plan to tell President Trump this weekend that it's time to ditch House Speaker Mike Johnson's plan on reconciliation.

Why it matters: The House is blowing its own deadlines, and there's "an urgency to act and act now," Senate GOP Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) told us today in an exclusive interview.

• "It's now, Mr. President. It's time to move. We have this," Barrasso said of what he expects senators to tell Trump at Friday's Mar-a-Lago dinner.

🥊 Johnson doesn't agree: "The Senate will not take the lead," Johnson told reporters today, per Politico.

• "We're still working on that one big, beautiful bill," House Budget Committee Chair Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) told reporters tonight, per Punchbowl.
• But the House can't agree on the numbers and had to punt on a markup of a budget resolution this week. Its members have serious ideological differences over the legislation.

⚡️ By contrast, Senate Budget Chair Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) "has legislation ready to go," Barrasso said. The Senate plan would start with energy, border and national security issues — and do taxes later this year.

• Border czar Tom Homan told Barrasso he needs resources to continue what has been a startling crackdown on illegal immigration.

Zoom in: Dozens of Republican senators and their spouses are joining Trump on Friday. They'll be in town for the NRSC's weekend at The Breakers.

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— Stef Kight

P.S. New NRSC chair Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) told the Senate GOP conference today that safe-seat incumbents shouldn't expect a bailout in 2026, we scooped this afternoon.

• "Put all the races away early that we can," Scott said. "We do not need to spend time and money in places where races should not be competitive."

Senate Intel Chair Tom Cotton found a surprise ally in former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) to help resuscitate Tulsi Gabbard's nomination.

• The former Democratic senator approached Cotton and was deployed to help sway Sens. Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) into "yes" votes today, sources tell us.

Why it matters: Cotton, the hawkish Arkansan who is No. 3 in GOP leadership, worked all the angles on Gabbard.

• He worked with Vice President Vance — who's been a crucial influence on undecided senators — Trump adviser Jason Miller and others on Gabbard's team. Cotton told Trump last year he could get Gabbard confirmed, Semafor's Burgess Everett first reported tonight.
• Cotton leaned hard on the White House to persuade, not pressure, arguing that an overly combative approach could be counterproductive for people like Young. (That didn't stop MAGA posters from trying over the weekend.)
• Cotton tapped former NSA adviser Robert O'Brien to whip other members of the committee.

Inside the room: Cotton, Sens. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and former Intel Chair Richard Burr (R-N.C.) huddled with Gabbard for over an hour ahead of last week's committee hearing trying to make sure concerns were addressed.

• Gabbard's hearing was anything but smooth, clearly frustrating Republicans who wanted to hear her call Edward Snowden a traitor.
• But she still won the Senate Intel Committee's recommendation on a party-line vote.

Zoom in: Cotton worked closely alongside Vance, the White House legislative affairs office and Gabbard's sherpas, keeping the White House updated on the status of the nomination.

• As chair of the Senate Republican Conference, Cotton transformed the office — and its X account — into a war room for Gabbard.
• He dove into details too, helping Gabbard fill out required questionnaires and prepare for her high-stakes hearing. When Gabbard made a helpful comment during her closed-door prep, Cotton encouraged her team to get it out there, resulting in a Newsweek op-ed.

The bottom line: There still could be other no votes in the Senate, most notably GOP Sens. John Curtis of Utah, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.

• But Senate GOP leadership and the White House feel confident with Young on board that Gabbard will be confirmed.

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— Stef Kight

Incensed Democrats are eyeing a wide-scale blockade of nominees that lasts far beyond the confirmation hearings for the boldfaced names in Trump's Cabinet.

Why it matters: Majority Leader John Thune is making fast work of Trump nominees. But more than 1,100 administration roles require Senate confirmation.

• Democrats could force him to burn tons of floor time if he has to confirm them one by one instead of in big batches via unanimous consent.

NEWS: Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) is prepared to block Trump nominees through multiple committees, we scooped today.

• Senate Democrats are proceeding as if there is a blanket hold on Trump nominations, Blumenthal said.
• That's an escalation from the blockade Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) placed on Trump's State Department nominees this week as retaliation for Trump and Elon Musk's bulldozing of USAID.

The bottom line: The longer Democrats stick to a blanket hold on nominations, the more they can make it hurt for Thune.

— Stephen Neukam