CIA Director John Ratcliffe was also reportedly present for the round of golf
GOP lawmaker says ‘a lot of progress’ has been made in Senate budget bill talks
Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., discusses President Donald Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ as the Senate scrambles to pass legislation before July 4 on ‘Fox News Live.’
President Donald Trump played a round of golf with Republican leaders on Saturday.
The president was joined by Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-SC., Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, sources confirmed to Fox News.
The outing comes as Republican senators look to pass the "Big Beautiful Bill" by Saturday afternoon. The bill has a self-imposed deadline of July 4. In a memo sent on Saturday to Senate offices, the White House endorsed the latest revisions to the bill and called for its passage, while warning that failure to approve the budget "would be the ultimate betrayal".
Graham shared the golf outing in a post on social media, expressing optimism over the bill's vote.
Looking forward to beginning the One Big Beautiful Bill soon.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) June 28, 2025
Started the day with @POTUS and thanked him for his leadership.
Let’s Go! pic.twitter.com/P4vuWg1HEY
Graham revealed the stitched-together text of the colossal bill late Friday night.
HOUSE CONSERVATIVES GO TO WAR WITH SENATE OVER TRUMP'S 'BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL'
President Donald Trump gestures as US Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) addresses the crowd during a 2024 election campaign event in Columbia, South Carolina, on January 28, 2023. (Logan Cyrus/AFP via Getty Images)
Republican leaders, the White House and disparate factions within the Senate and House GOP have been meeting to find middle ground on other pain points, such as tweaking the caps on state and local tax (SALT) deductions.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent hammered on the importance of passing Trump's bill on time. He met with Senate Republicans during their closed-door lunch and spread the message that advancing the colossal tax package would go a long way toward giving businesses more certainty in the wake of the president's tariffs.
"We need certainty," he said. "With so much uncertainty, and having the bill on the president's desk by July 4 will give us great tax certainty, and I believe, accelerate the economy in the third quarter of the year."
Fox News' Alex Miller contributed to this report.
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Jackson Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital. He previously worked for ESPN and Business Insider. Jackson has covered the Super Bowl and NBA Finals, and has interviewed iconic figures Usain Bolt, Rob Gronkowski, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Mike Trout, David Ortiz and Roger Clemens.
