The Senate Hurries to Vote on the Big Budget Bill of the Trump Agenda
The Senate continues to debate the bill to fund Trump’s agenda this weekend on Capitol Hill, with a deadline until July 4
The new 940-page version still includes an extension of the tax cuts, primarily for wealthy individuals, and they've scheduled the first vote on it for Saturday.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican, is hoping the Senate bill will not only appeal to his holdout colleagues but will also be in line with what Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough approves of. On Thursday, MacDonough rejected key aspects of the changes to Medicaid, health insurance for low-income people.
The Senate called into a special session at 2 p.m. ET for a key procedural vote, though it's unknown if Thune has the 50 votes needed for passage, outlets including ABC, NBC, CBS, and NPR reported.
Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate, but it is unclear whether they have the simple majority needed to advance.
Democrats reject the bill
All Democrats plan to oppose the legislation.
In the reconciliation process, after up to 20 hours of debate expire, senators will still be able to offer amendments, a process that could extend into Sunday.
House Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York was the first Democrat to speak.
“Senate Republicans are trying to deceive the American people,”Schumer said. “For weeks they’ve grappled with the reality that most people hate this bill. Leaders have struggled to get votes from within their own ranks, who know the bill’s severity. And now they’ve rushed to meet an arbitrary deadline.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he would force a full reading of the bill, dragging out the process.
Even if the package clears its first hurdle Saturday, it would still have a long way to go.
There would be at least 10 hours of debate before senators could begin voting on amendments.
What the legislation does
The legislation would extend the tax cuts Trump signed into law in 2017 and slash taxes on tips and overtime pay.
It includes a $150 billion increase in military spending this year, along with a multi-billion dollar increase in federal funding for Trump's mass deportation and immigration enforcement agenda. This is partially funded by cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, and clean energy funding.
The bill would add about $4 trillion to the national debt when factoring in increased interest payments, according to an analysis released Saturday by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a think tank that supports deficit reduction.
It also includes a $5 trillion increase to the debt ceiling by an August deadline to prevent a default on the country's obligations.
Even if the package clears its first hurdle on Saturday, it would still have a long way to go.
There would be at least 10 hours of debate before senators could begin voting on amendments.
What the legislation does
The legislation would extend the tax cuts Trump signed into law in 2017 and slash taxes on tips and overtime pay.
It includes a $150 billion increase in military spending this year, along with multi-billion federal funding boosts for Trump's agenda of mass deportations and immigration enforcement. This is partially funded by cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, and clean energy funding.
The bill would add about $4 trillion to the national debt when factoring in increased interest payments, according to an analysis released Saturday by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a think tank that supports deficit reduction.
It also includes a $5 trillion increase to the debt ceiling by an August deadline to prevent a default on the country's obligations.
Even if the package clears its first hurdle on Saturday, it would still have a long way to go.
There would be at least 10 hours of debate before senators could begin voting on amendments.
What the legislation does
The legislation would extend the tax cuts Trump signed into law in 2017 and slash taxes on tips and overtime pay.
It includes a $150 billion increase in military spending this year, along with multi-billion federal funding boosts for Trump's agenda of mass deportations and immigration enforcement. This is partially funded by cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, and clean energy funding.
The bill would add about $4 trillion to the national debt when factoring in increased interest payments, according to an analysis released Saturday by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a think tank that supports deficit reduction.
It also includes a $5 trillion increase to the debt ceiling by an August deadline to prevent a default on the country's obligations.