WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, issued the following statement today regarding the Senate’s passage of the FY 2018 budget resolution.

“After eight years of a sluggish economy and stagnant wages, 50 percent of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. That’s not acceptable. Senate Republicans are working toward a pro-growth tax plan that will provide relief to working families and move the economy forward. We want to ensure that Americans are able to keep more of their hard-earned money and that business owners have the resources they need to grow their operations — creating more jobs and bigger paychecks. Today’s passage of the budget resolution is a critical step toward achieving that goal.”