WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans muscled a balanced-budget plan through the Senate early Friday, positioning Congress for months of battling President Barack Obama over the GOP's goals of slicing spending and dismantling his health care law. 
 
 FILE - Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., accompanied by Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, in this March 24, 2015 file photo. Senators worked into... (Associated Press) 
 
 Working into Friday's pre-dawn hours, senators approved the blueprint by a near party-line 52-46 vote, endorsing a measure that closely follows one the House passed Wednesday. Both budgets embody a conservative vision of shrinking projected federal deficits by more than $5 trillion over the coming decade, mostly by cutting health care and other benefit programs and without raising taxes. 
 
 The Senate was beginning a spring recess after approving the measure, leaving Congress' two GOP-run chambers to negotiate a compromise budget in mid-April. The legislation is a non-binding blueprint that does not require Obama's signature but lays the groundwork for future bills that seem destined for veto fights with the president. 
 
 "Republicans have shown that the Senate is under new management and delivering on the change and responsible government the American people expect," said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. 
 
 Democrats viewed the document differently, saying it relied on gimmickry and touted the wrong priorities. 
 
 "The budget we passed today is irresponsible and fails to effectively invest in our future," said Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md. 
 
 The budget's solidly ideological tenor contrasted with a bipartisan bill the House overwhelmingly approved Thursday permanently blocking perennial cuts in physicians' Medicare fees. It too will wait until April for final congressional approval by the Senate, with McConnell saying his chamber will handle it "very quickly when we get back." 
 
 Though doctors face a 21 percent cut in Medicare fees April 1, the government can delay processing those payments until Congress' return. The measure, which also provides money for health care programs for children and low-income people, would be partly financed with higher premiums for top-earning Medicare recipients. 
 
 On the budget, only two Republicans voted no: Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Rand Paul of Kentucky, a pair of presidential hopefuls. Two other potential GOP presidential candidates, Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, voted yes. 
 
 All voting Democrats were opposed. 
 
 The Senate completed its budget work after enduring one of its more painful traditions: A multi-hour "vote-a-rama" in which senators repeatedly debate and vote on a pile of non-binding amendments well past midnight. Senators offer the amendments because the votes can demonstrate support for a policy or be used to embarrass opponents in future campaigns. 
 
 Those approved included one by Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, entitling married same-sex couples to Social Security and veterans' spousal benefits. It got 11 GOP votes, including from several Republicans facing competitive re-elections next year. 
 
 Also adopted was one by McConnell aimed at thwarting Obama administration efforts to reduce coal pollution. 
 
 Congress' GOP budgets both matched the spending plan that Obama presented last month when it comes to defense, proposing $612 billion for next year, a 4.5 percent boost over current levels. Some conservatives were unhappy because they wanted more of the extra military spending to be offset with savings from elsewhere in the budget. 
 
 But mostly, the Republican blueprints diverge starkly from Obama's fiscal plan. 
 
 While his leaves a projected deficit exceeding $600 billion 10 years from now, the Senate plan claims a surplus of $3 billion. 
 
 Over the decade, Obama would raise $2 trillion in higher taxes from the wealthy, corporations and smokers while granting tax breaks to low-income and middle-class families. He would boost spending on domestic programs including road construction, preschools and community colleges and veterans. 
 
 The Senate budget would cut $4.3 trillion from benefit programs over the next 10 years, including annulling Obama's health care law, a step the president would without doubt veto. 
 
 Those savings would include $431 billion from Medicare, matching Obama's figure. The House budget would pare $148 billion from the health care program for the elderly and convert it into a voucher-like program for future beneficiaries, a step the Senate shunned. 
 
 The Senate budget would cut $236 billion from the budgets of nondefense agencies. The House would go even further, slicing $759 billion. ||||| The U.S. Capitol building is seen before President Barack Obama arrives to deliver his State of the Union address to a joint session of the U.S. Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, January 20, 2015. 
 
 WASHINGTON The Senate passed a Republican-authored budget plan early on Friday that seeks $5.1 trillion in domestic spending cuts over 10 years while boosting military funding. 
 
 The 52-46 vote on the non-binding budget resolution put Congress on a path to complete its first full budget in six years. It came at the end of a marathon 18-hour session that saw approval of dozens of amendments ranging from Iran sanctions to carbon emissions and immigration policies. 
 
 Two Republican senators who are running or considering running for president, Ted Cruz and Rand Paul, voted against their party's budget plan, which is similar to one passed by House Republicans on Wednesday. 
 
 In addition to aiming to eliminate deficits within 10 years, both documents seek to ease the path for a repeal or replacement of President Barack Obama's signature health care reform law. 
 
 But differences between the two documents still need to be worked out and a combined budget passed next month by both chambers. Doing so would allow Republicans to invoke parliamentary rules to repeal "Obamacare" with a simple majority in the Senate rather than a tough-to-achieve 60 vote threshold. 
 
 Under the convoluted U.S. spending process, the budgets do not become law, but influence government agency funding bills later in the year. They also showcase the fiscal vision for Republicans, who now control both Houses of Congress for the first time since 2006 and are eager to demonstrate their ability to govern. 
 
 "This balanced budget is an important first step to help Washington live within its means, just like hardworking families have to do every day," said Republican Senate Budget Chairman Mike Enzi. 
 
 He added that once a final budget is passed lawmakers would begin to work to find alternate savings that would allow them to ease statutory budget caps on military and domestic programs. 
 
 The Senate budget seeks to eliminate U.S. deficits by 2025 without raising taxes through deep cuts to social safety net programs, investments in transportation and education and other domestic programs. 
 
 At the same time, it proposes to boost defense spending by adding about $38 billion to an off-budget war funding account, and offers core Pentagon budget increases in subsequent years. 
 
 More than 50 non-binding amendments were considered on Thursday and Friday in an open "vote-a-rama" process that allowed senators to promote pet causes or try to force opposition members into votes that may be used in campaign ads. 
 
 Republicans passed a symbolic roll-back of the Obama administration's carbon emissions rules for power plants, while a Democratic proposal to recognize climate change risks for the military won approval. 
 
 Another Democratic amendment to let all Americans earn paid sick leave passed with a surprisingly strong 61 votes, with support from 14 Republicans. The Senate also voted unanimously to make it easier to reimpose sanctions if Iran violates any nuclear deal. 
 
 (Reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Tom Heneghan) ||||| Photo Advertisement Continue reading the main story 
 
 WASHINGTON — Around 8 p.m. Thursday, Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the minority leader, called Senator Charles E. Schumer of New York into his office with news that would stun Washington the next morning: Mr. Reid planned to retire at the end of his term. 
 
 Mr. Reid’s decision to contact Mr. Schumer first, before even President Obama, was another powerful reminder of what Senate Democrats have long known: Mr. Schumer — the flip-phone using, rumpled, relentless son of a Brooklyn exterminator — is the presumptive front-runner to lead the Senate Democrats when Mr. Reid is gone. 
 
 In that moment, Mr. Schumer’s possibilities finally caught up with his ambition. 
 
 Just hours after Mr. Reid announced his retirement, throwing the future of his caucus into flux, at least one thing was clear: The Democratic leader post that Mr. Schumer has long coveted is his to lose. 
 
 Mr. Reid, demonstrating the steely will with which he has ruled his conference, worked aggressively to anoint Mr. Schumer, the No. 3 Democrat, as his successor shortly after beginning to tell people that he would not seek re-election, effectively edging out Senator Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Democrat. Mr. Durbin later said that he, too, would back Mr. Schumer. 
 
 “He will be elected to replace me in 22 months,” Mr. Reid told Nevada Public Radio. “I think one reason that will happen is because I want him to be my replacement.” 
 
 Mr. Schumer spent most of the day calling lawmakers to lock down their support for his leadership bid, which he officially announced Friday afternoon, saying in statement, “I am honored and humbled to have the support of so many of my colleagues and look forward to our Senate Democratic caucus continuing to fight for the middle class.” 
 
 After more than three decades in Congress, Mr. Schumer, 64, has a reputation nationally as an institutional presence in the baroque Senate chamber and the green rooms of the Sunday talk shows. But his potential ascent to the top Democratic post also represents a boon for New York, where Mr. Schumer cut his teeth with his rapacious attention to local issues, one Sunday morning news conference at a time. 
 
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 New York has never produced a leader of the Senate, and it has been more than a century since a New Yorker was speaker of the House. 
 
 “New York is very fortunate that we will have someone with his abilities and talents to help our state,” said former Senator Alfonse M. D’Amato, a Republican whom Mr. Schumer unseated in a contentious 1998 battle, but who now describes him as “a tiger” on Capitol Hill. “He will do exactly that — use that power and that clout.” 
 
 Unlike the frequently endangered Mr. Reid — and the previous Democratic Senate leader, Tom Daschle of South Dakota — Mr. Schumer, who was first elected to the House in 1980, has proved seemingly unbeatable on his home turf. He has not faced a competitive campaign since his first election to the Senate, as he has kept the state’s Democratic community united around him. 
 
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 That same indefatigable relationship building has also helped him in the Senate. Mr. Durbin and Mr. Schumer, who were once longtime roommates in Washington, have jockeyed for years behind the scenes, at times tensely, over who would replace Mr. Reid. Mr. Durbin plans to run again for the No. 2 position, and has Mr. Reid’s endorsement. 
 
 Mr. Schumer, a master tactician and inveterate deal maker, ran the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in 2006, when Democrats retook control of the Senate, and again in 2008, when they increased their majority. Mr. Schumer also earned the respect and trust of more moderate Democrats, who view him as someone eager to get things done and often call him when they have a concern or problem. 
 
 Shortly after the 2014 midterm elections, when Democrats lost their majority, some Democrats who had chafed under Mr. Reid’s leadership urged Mr. Schumer to challenge Mr. Reid for minority leader. But Mr. Schumer quickly quashed the plan, out of “loyalty and friendship” to Mr. Reid, said someone close to Mr. Schumer, speaking anonymously to discuss a sensitive topic. 
 
 Senator Patty Murray of Washington, the No. 4 Democrat, is also interested in remaining in her party’s leadership, though she is not actively campaigning for a specific post. 
 
 While some progressive groups called for Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts to consider running, Democrats have mentioned Ms. Murray as the most likely senator to pose a possible challenge for Mr. Schumer. She ran the party’s Senate Campaign Committee in 2012, is well liked and respected by her colleagues, and has a natural base of support among her party’s 14 female members. 
 
 Though the official vote is nearly two years away, after the 2016 elections, the Democratic leadership was eager for a smooth transition, and at least a tacit understanding of who will replace Mr. Reid. 
 
 In New York, where Mr. Schumer’s prowess as a retail politician is often on display, his possible elevation was cause for instant celebration. 
 
 “I don’t know when the last time was when we had someone in such a position,” said Representative Joseph Crowley of Queens, adding, “He’s going to be at the head of the table, and I think that’s something that we haven’t necessarily had.” 
 
 In contrast with other prominent New York officials, including Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York, Mr. Schumer has never become a divisive figure, focusing insistently on the state’s economic interests and local concerns, rather than on ideological crusades. 
 
 Mr. Crowley said Mr. Schumer has attended nearly every meeting of the state’s delegation, both in Washington and back home. When Mr. Crowley sought a House leadership post in 2012, he said he sought advice from Mr. Schumer, who helped rally the delegation behind him. 
 
 Mr. Schumer has continued to work the state’s circuit of local parades and association dinners even as he has climbed the ranks of national leadership, making frequent visits to upstate cities, including Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo. 
 
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 “When I get together with him, I can get through a list of 10 issues in 45 seconds,” said Mayor Stephanie A. Miner of Syracuse. “Between talking fast and talking on two or three flip-phones at any one time, he’s always extraordinarily responsive.” 
 
 New York City politicians called Mr. Schumer an omnipresent force, regularly seen riding his bike around the city and showing up at swearing-in ceremonies for all manner of state and local officeholders. 
 
 “He’s everywhere in the state and has been for a long time now,” said State Senator Daniel L. Squadron, a former aide to Mr. Schumer. 
 
 Eric Adams, the Brooklyn borough president, said he encountered Mr. Schumer last week at a Lunar New Year event, where the senator received an omen of good luck: In a traditional ceremony, featuring costumed dancers dressed as lions, scattering vegetables in the crowd, a piece of lettuce landed on New York’s senior senator. 
 
 “When he caught a piece, he said: ‘I guess I have good fortune coming my way,’ ” Mr. Adams recalled. “He should thank that lion.”
– The Senate powered through an 18-hour session that ended at 3:28am this morning, giving a yea or nay to more than 50 amendments in a "vote-a-rama" marathon and, in a 52-46 vote, approving a budget that looks to pave the way for dumping ObamaCare, Reuters reports. Not one Democrat said yes to the plan, the New York Times reports. The GOP plan for purging deficits by 2025 without raising taxes: slash $5.1 trillion in social "safety net" and other programs. What's going to rise amid the deep cuts is military funding, with a proposal to funnel about $38 billion over to a war-funding account. The Senate now begins a spring recess, so come mid-April, the approved Senate budget will need to be reconciled with the House budget that passed Wednesday. The Times notes it would be "the first common congressional budget in a decade." While not legally binding or in need of Obama's signature, the legislation informs spending limits for domestic and military programs, per the Times, and lays the groundwork for future bills that seem destined for veto fights with the president, the AP notes. "Fortunately for the country, the Republican budget will not become law," Harry Reid tells the Times. Two GOPers voted "nay" to the plan: presidential wannabes Ted Cruz and Rand Paul. As for the dozens of amendments that flew through the approval process, there were some conciliatory overtures from the Republican side: They helped sail through amendments on Social Security and veteran benefits for same-sex couples, and 14 GOPers voted to pass an amendment that calls for American workers to earn paid sick leave, Reuters notes.