The Senate takes up the budget plan designed to advance Trump’s agenda

Washington (AP) – Senators continued to connect in the night and on Saturday to a controversial debate on a Republican budgetary plan It is at the heart of President Donald Trump’s agenda For billions of dollars in tax reductions and stimulates border security and defense funds, while reducing other public spending.

It could not have happened at a more difficult political moment. THE The American economy takes place On the vast Trump pricing scheme The actions sent fallsAnd experts warn costs of consumers in the country and threats to a potential recession. Even some The Republicans expressed concerns.

But the leaders of the GOP With a sign of Trump’s head are determined to move forward, going beyond a hardened opposition line of the Democrats, which are unified against what they denounce as tax reductions for the rich to the detriment of the federal programs on which the Americans count. The approval, expected later on Saturday morning, will open the way to the Republicans in the coming months to build a bill on the two chambers of the Congress, just as they did during the first term of Trump.

“Let the vote start,” said the head of the majority of the Senate John Thune, Rs.d.

The evening launched what is called the voting-a-rama, because the Democrats intended to make the effort as painful as possible, with votes on around twenty modifications to the package that the GOP senators will have to defend before the mid-term elections next year.

Among them, there were proposals for the ban on tax alternatives for the super rich end Trump prices and cut his efforts to shrink the federal government. One, in response to The use of the signal by the national security team of Trumphas sought to ban military officials from using any commercial messaging request to transmit war plans. Most failed.

Democrats accused the Republicans of having laid the basis of the increase in deficits and reducing the main safety net programs such as Medicaid and nutritional assistance to help pay the tax reductions which, they say, benefit in a disproportionate to the rich.

“Trump’s policies are a disaster,” said Senate Democrat, Chuck Schumer of New York, as is the Elon Musk government department. “The Republicans could suffocate it this evening, if they wanted it.”

The Republicans define their work as preventing a tax increase for most American families, arguing that the congress agrees, the individual and the inheritance tax reduce republicans pass In 2017 will expire at the end of this year.

The Senate package achieves other GOP priorities – including $ 175 billion to strengthen Trump’s mass deportation effort, which does not lack money, and an additional $ 175 billion for the Pentagon to build the army – from a previous budgetary effort.

Senator John Barrasso, the Senator of GOP n ° 2, said that the voters had given the Republicans a mission and a mandate in November, and the budgetary plan of the Senate.

“He keeps our promises to obtain the border, rebuild our economy and restore peace by force,” said Barrasso.

Throughout the day, the debate was generally unilateral, because the Democrats fully benefited from 25 hours of their available time, while the Republicans gave a large part of theirs to advance the voting frenzy all night. The pizza was rolled in a cart, for the Republicans. Tacos, for Democrats.

Republicans use their majority to reduce most of the amendments, often in votes of exuberant voices, although a GOP proposal to protect health insurance and Medicaid from cuts has been adopted.

However, some democratic proposals have attracted support from the GOP, including those to protect the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the negotiation rights of federal workers, supported by Sénatrice Susan Collins of Maine and Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, among others.

A republican, Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, expressed his own doubts about tax alleviation adding to federal deficits and said that he had assured that Trump officials would ask for the cuts elsewhere.

“This vote does not take place in the void,” he said, a nod to the turmoil on Trump’s prices.

And the republican senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, the solitary opponent of the GOP of the plan so far, has questioned the mathematics used by his colleagues who, according to him, would stack the loading of debt. “Something is shady,” he said.

The Chamber and the Senate adopt different approaches which will possibly have to be resolved.

The GOP House budget plan has planned 4.5 billions of dollars in tax attenuation over 10 years, with some $ 2 billion in savings indicated on Medicaid changes, food coupons and other programs.

The Senate’s budgetary plan makes it possible to extend the tax reductions under a rating method which deals with them as not adding to future deficits, even if a new estimate of the joint committee of tax projects, they will add 5.5 billions of dollars during the next decade during the inclusion of interests and $ 4.6 billion not to include.

In addition to this, an additional 1.5 billion of dollars in the senators plan would allow them to include some of Trump’s campaign promises, such as no tax on advice, social security services and overtime. Republicans also seek to increase the deduction of $ 10,000 for state and local taxes, which states legislators say like New York, California and New Jersey is necessary for their support.

The room and the Senate are also disagreement Increase the debt limitthat summer needs to allow more loans. The room had increased the debt limit by $ 4 billions in its plan. But with Trump wanting the problem outside the table, the Senate makes him rise to 5 billions of dollars to assert other votes on the issue until the mid-term elections next year.

The plan orders four Senate committees to find at least 1 billion dollars each in budgetary reduction. This is only a small fraction of what is necessary to compensate for the costs of tax reductions. But GOP leadership stresses that it is a low soil and that the committees will be looking for much more.

Already, GOP leaders are faced with the concerns of tax hawks in deep red states and congress districts that want thousands of dollars in expenditure discounts to help pay tax loss. At the same time, dozens of legislators in districts and swing states are concerned about what these cuts will mean for their voters and their chances of re -election.

The management of the GOP has encouraged members to simply obtain a budgetary plan on the finish line, saying that they have time to resolve difficult issues of tax alleviation and expense reductions to include.

The extension of the 2017 breaks would reduce taxes for about three -quarters of households, but would increase them for around 10%. In 2027, approximately 45% of the benefit of all tax reductions would go to those which earn around $ 450,000 or more, according to At Urban-Broooking Tax Policy Center, which analyzes tax issues.