Senate Republicans introduced a new budget plan on Wednesday that would allow for $1.5 trillion in new tax cuts. The plan also aims to make former President Donald Trump’s 2017 tax cuts permanent.
They plan to approve the budget blueprint soon so that committees can start working on a major bill to support Trump’s policies, including tax cuts and immigration funding. By using the “reconciliation” process, Republicans can pass the budget with a simple majority, avoiding the usual 60-vote requirement in the Senate.
This allows them to move forward without needing support from Democrats. Republicans are using the accounting method called the “current policy baseline” to show that extending Trump’s tax cuts would cost nothing, CBS News reported.
Democrats strongly oppose this, calling it “magic math” because it hides the true cost, which could be in the trillions. They are looking for ways to challenge this approach. The Senate Republicans’ budget plan also includes a $5 trillion increase in the debt limit.
Trump has urged Republicans to pass his policies in a single large bill, similar to the House’s approach. Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota said on Wednesday that it is time for the Senate to move forward with the budget to support the Republican agenda in Congress.
Thune also stated that the Senate parliamentarian has reviewed the Budget Committee’s changes and confirmed that they follow the rules of the Budget Act.
“It is now time for the Senate to move forward with this budget resolution in order to further advance our shared Republican agenda in Congress,” Thune, R-S.D., said in a statement, NBC News reported.
However, a spokesperson for the Senate Budget Committee Democrats disagreed about how Trump’s tax cuts were calculated. They stated that it is not true that the Senate parliamentarian approved using the “current policy baseline” method.
The plan allows for an additional $150 billion in military spending and $175 billion for immigration enforcement. This funding would help Trump implement his mass deportation policy.
Trump endorsed the Senate’s plan and pushed the GOP lawmakers in attendance to pass the bill.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said “The Senate Budget plan gives us the tools that we need to get our shared priorities done, including certain PERMANENT Tax Cuts, Spending Cuts, Energy, Historic Investments in Defense, Border, and much more.”
“…We are going to cut Spending, and right-size the Budget back to where it should be. The Senate Plan has my Complete and Total Support. Likewise, the House is working along the same lines. Every Republican, House and Senate, must UNIFY. We need to pass it IMMEDIATELY!” Trump added.
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