The Senate was in conference all day Friday and into Saturday night but gradually passed its finances blueprint with an extension of Donald Trump’s 2017 tax cuts and rough cuts in some local programs.
Advertisement
The voting was probable after months of wrangling between Republicans in the House and Senate over simple math. Does two plus two definitely similar four, or does it close whatever Republicans say it does?  ,
It doesn’t matter. Both events play games with algebra, depending on who’s in strength. The answer Republican came up with is fiction and strange. They say that because the expiring tax cuts have been in place since 2017, extending the$ 4 trillion in cuts shouldn’t be recorded as costing anything because the GOP says so.
Yes, actually. There are two hurdles that Republicans would ordinarily have to leap to make this math magic work: The Congressional Budget Office ( CBO ) scores the budget bill and tells us if the numbers add up. Therefore, the Senate Parliamentarian would ensure that the CBO report matches what the Republicans claim in their expenses. If the Parliamentarian gives a hands down, the act becomes significantly harder to pass.
The CBO report is useless to the elections involved. But the Senate Parliamentarian may cause real problems. That’s why Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S. C. ) announced earlier this week that it was he and he alone who has the authority to determine baseline numbers for spending and revenue.
Democrats may cry terrible death, but it will perform them no good. Democrats have the seats. And on first Saturday night, they muscled the tax cut and saving describe through by a vote of 51-48.
Advertisement
” This resolution is the first step toward a final bill to make permanent the tax relief we implemented in 2017 and deliver a transformational investment in our border, national and energy security”, said Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S. D. ).
But before Republicans could force through the solution, they first had to sift through an hourslong tradition known as a vote-a-rama, a workout of rapid-fire vote on amendments to expenditure measures. The ideas had little chance of becoming rules, but the approach allowed Democrats to force a series of socially fraught seats they hope to use to harm Republicans in campaign ads afterwards.
Democrats forced Republicans to weigh in on amendments protesting Mr. Trump’s escalating international trade war, Elon Musk’s cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency, the G. O. P.’s proposed cuts to Medicaid and the new use of Signal by regional security officials in the Trump administration to discuss a delicate military operation.
” Our amendments will give Republicans the chance to join us in hitting the kill switch on Donald Trump’s tariffs, on DOGE, on the attacks against Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid”, Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the minority leader, said on Friday night before voting started. ” Republicans could snuff it out instantly tonight if they wanted. Will Republicans join us tonight and stand up to Donald Trump before he craters the economy”?
Advertisement
There’s a Grand Canyon-like chasm between the House and Senate versions of the bill. The House has yet to accept the Senate’s magic math solution to how to count the tax cuts against the budget deficit. That’s going to be a tough sell for Speaker Mike Johnson, who has a razor-thin majority to deal with.
The Associated Press reports that,” A new estimate from the Joint Committee on Taxation projects the tax breaks will add$ 5.5 trillion over the next decade when including interest, and$ 4.6 trillion not including interest”.
” Something’s fishy”, said Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky. ), who was one of two Republican senators to vote against the bill. He questioned his colleague’s magical math solution to the deficit problem.
He appears to be the only GOP senator who did.  ,
Your favorite PJ Media writers are working hard to bring you the best opinions and news in the business. Support us by becoming a VIP Member! We’re giving you a 60 % discount on the regular VIP Membership with the promo code “FIGHT”. Click here to join and receive your discount.
