Senate approves budget in crucial step forward for Republican tax cuts ByElise Viebeck

[applegrove]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2017/10/19/republicans-have-the-budget-votes-they-need-but-democrats-prepare-to-make-it-painful/?pushid=59e952922e6a733200000045&tid=notifi_push_breaking-news&utm_term=.8a4dba0c48fe

By Elise Viebeck At the Washington Post

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The Senate approved the Republican-proposed budget Thursday night, a major step forward for the GOP’s effort to enact tax cuts.

The budget, which now moves to the House, is projected to expand the deficit by $1.5 trillion over 10 years. Its passage will allow the GOP to use a procedural maneuver to pass tax legislation through the Senate with 50 or more votes, removing the need for support from Democratic senators.

Tax cuts that have become Republicans’ essential policy objective since the Senate failed to pass multiple bills to rewrite Obamacare. Approval of the budget is expected to help shore up ties between Senate GOP leaders and President Trump, who is angry at Republicans’ failure on health care and bent on Congress approving a tax-reform package by the end of the year.

At the same time, by agreeing to the $1.5 trillion tax cut, Senate Republicans have officially moved the party far away from its promised goal of ensuring that the tax plan would not add to the deficit. The White House and House Republicans had vowed that the tax cuts would be offset with new revenue from the elimination of certain deductions, but that is no longer the GOP’s goal. Instead, they have abandoned longstanding party orthodoxy of deficit reduction and are seeking a political win after months of frustration on Capitol Hill.

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