In a so-called "vote-a-rama" marathon, the Senate approved on a near party-line vote the first of two budget bills advancing President Donald Trump's agenda.Senators spent more than 12 hours debating dozens of amendments to the bill beginning Thursday afternoon. Republicans attempted to address their top issues, including funding for mass deportations, border security, the military, and fossil fuel production.The bill acts as a down payment before Republicans introduce their second bill, which extends some $4.5 trillion in tax breaks and $2 trillion in cuts to health care and other programs.Democrats, without the votes to block the bill, vowed to push back."We'll be doing this over and over again because we know Republicans don't want the American people to know that that's their North Star," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, said. "Almost everything they do is aimed at getting those tax breaks for the billionaires."Republicans pledged to follow through with delivering Trump's agenda."Democrats used this very process to pass Obamacare and the Inflation Reduction Act. We're going to use it to secure our border," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, said.In a social media post overnight, Trump thanked Senate Republicans for fast-tracking money for border security but said he favors a package the House will vote on next week, combining the Senate's two bills into one.Because of the filibuster, the Senate typically needs 60 votes to pass any bill. With only a 53-seat majority and no Democratic support for their priorities, Republicans need a way around it. Opting for a process known as "reconciliation," passing the bill brings the threshold to a simple majority, or 50 votes, for the bill to pass.The trade-off is that rather than passing one big bill, senators open the process to dozens of amendments.Government funding runs out three weeks from Friday.