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Sen. GOP Pushes Ahead With Budget Bill 02/19 06:04

   Senate Republicans pushed ahead late Tuesday on a scaled-back budget bill, a 
$340 billion package to give the Trump administration money for mass 
deportations and other priorities, as Democrats prepare a counter-campaign 
against the onslaught of actions coming from the White House.

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- Senate Republicans pushed ahead late Tuesday on a 
scaled-back budget bill, a $340 billion package to give the Trump 
administration money for mass deportations and other priorities, as Democrats 
prepare a counter-campaign against the onslaught of actions coming from the 
White House.

   On a party-line vote, 50-47, Republicans launched the process, skipping 
ahead of the House Republicans who prefer President Donald Trump's approach for 
a "big, beautiful bill" that includes $4.5 trillion in tax cuts that are tops 
on the party agenda. Senate Republicans plan to deal with tax cuts later, in a 
second package.

   "It's time to act," said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., on 
social media, announcing the plan ahead as the House is on recess week. "Let's 
get it done."

   This is the first step in unlocking Trump's campaign promises -- tax cuts, 
energy production and border controls -- and dominating the agenda in Congress. 
While Republicans have majority control of both the House and Senate, giving a 
rare sweep of Washington power, they face big hurdles trying to put the 
president's agenda into law over steep Democratic objections.

   It's coming as the administration's Department of Government Efficiency 
effort is slashing costs across government departments, leaving a trail of 
fired federal workers and dismantling programs on which many Americans depend. 
Democrats, having floundered amid the initial chaos coming from the White 
House, emerged galvanized as they try to warn Americans what's at stake.

   "These bills that they have have one purpose -- and that is they're trying 
to give a tax break to their billionaire buddies and have you, the average 
American person, pay for it," Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer told AP. 
"It is outrageous."

   Schumer convened a private weekend call with Democratic senators and emerged 
with a strategy to challenge Republicans for prioritizing tax cuts that 
primarily flow to the wealthy at the expense of program and service cuts to 
U.S. health care, scientific research, veterans services and other programs.

   As the Senate begins the cumbersome budget process this week -- which 
entails an initial 50 hours of debate followed by an expected all-night session 
with dozens if not 100 or more efforts to amend the package in what's called a 
vote-a-rama -- Democrats are preparing to drill down on those issues.

   The Senate GOP package would allow $175 billion to be spent on border 
security, including funding for mass deportation operations and to build the 
wall along the U.S.-Mexico border; a $150 billion boost to the Pentagon for 
defense spending; and $20 billion for the Coast Guard.

   Republicans are determined to push ahead after Trump's border czar Tom Homan 
and top aide Stephen Miller told senators privately last week they are running 
short of cash to accomplish the president's mass deportations and other border 
priorities.

   The Senate Budget Committee said the package would cost about $85.5 billion 
a year, for four years of Trump's presidency, paid for with new reductions and 
revenues elsewhere that other committees will draw up.

   Eyeing ways to pay for the package, Senate Republicans are considering a 
rollback of the Biden administration's methane emissions fee, which was 
approved by Democrats as part of climate change strategies in the Inflation 
Reduction Act, and hoping to draw new revenue from energy leases as they aim to 
spur domestic energy production.

   While the House and Senate budget resolutions are often considered simply 
statements of policy priorities, these could actually become law.

   The budget resolutions are being considered under what's called the 
reconciliation process, which allows passage on a simple majority vote without 
many of the procedural hurdles that stall bills. Once rare, reconciliation is 
increasingly being used in the House and Senate to pass big packages on 
party-line votes when one party controls the White House and Congress.

   During Trump's first term, Republicans used the reconciliation process to 
pass the GOP tax cuts in 2017. Democrats used reconciliation during the Biden 
presidency era to approve COVID relief and also the Inflation Reduction Act.

 
 
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