US republican senators will try to advance with US President Donald Trump’s bill to reduce taxes and spending on Saturday (28), with a procedural vote that could start a marathon of sessions over the weekend.
The bill would prolong the 2017 tax reductions, which was the main legislative achievement of Trump’s first term, would reduce other taxes and increase spending on the armed forces and border security. Analysts estimate that a version approved by the House of Representatives last month would add about $ 3 trillion to the US $ 36.2 trillion public debt.
Senate Republicans are divided on plans to partially compensate for the strong impact of this bill on the deficit, including the cutting of the Medicaid Health insurance program for low-income Americans.
Republicans are wearing a legislative maneuver to circumvent the 60 votes of the Senate to approve most of the 100 -member chamber laws. Their narrow margins in the Senate and the House means that they cannot have more than three republican votes against approving a bill to which Democrats oppose, saying that it burden low and medium -income Americans to benefit the rich.
Trump pressured Congress to approve the bill until the July 4th holiday, Independence Day. The White House said earlier this month that the legislation, which Trump calls “One Big Beautiful Bill” (a great and beautiful bill) would reduce the annual deficit by $ 1.4 trillion.
Although some republicans in both chambers have expressed opposition to some elements of the bill, this congress has so far rejected any of the president’s legislative priorities.
A successful vote to open the debate would start a long process that could extend until Sunday, as the Democrats would have a series of amendments that would probably not be approved in a Republican-controlled camera by 53 to 47.
Tax exemptions, spending cuts
Democrats will focus their efforts on amendments designed to reverse republican spending cuts on programs that provide government -supported medical assistance to the elderly, poor and disabled, as well as food aid to low -income families.
Democratic leader in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, summed up the reasons for opposition from his party to the bill at a press conference on Friday (27): “He predicts the greatest cuts in food financing of all time” and could result in the loss of more than 2 million jobs by highlighting the republican setback in the Clean Energy initiatives introduced by the Biden government.
Senate Republican majority leader John Thune emphasized tax reduction components during a Senate speech on Friday.
“The central point of our bill is the permanent fiscal relief for the American people,” he said in presenting the legislation that contains a new tax reduction for the elderly and other taxpayers. The measure, said Thune, “will help our economy go back to full steam.”
It would also raise the legal debt limit of the Treasury Department in trillions of dollars to avoid the first default of debt in the coming months.
If the Senate can approve Trump’s main legislative goal until the beginning of next week, the House will be ready to quickly apply the final seal of approval by sending it to Trump to be sanctioned.
But with Senate Republicans struggling to find sufficient spending cuts to gain the support of the party’s far right, Trump loosened a little on Friday, saying that his July 4 time was “important,” but “it’s not the end of everything.”
Among the most difficult disagreements that Senate Republicans had to face on Friday night were the size of the limit for state and local tax deductions and a cost savings from Medicaid that could harm rural hospitals.
