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Senate Republicans are seeking to make President Donald Trump’s 2017 tax cuts permanent despite concerns from opponents that the move could increase the nation’s debt.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune is working to pass the legislation despite a potentially narrow vote in Congress including a narrow 218-215 advantage in the House.
“I can’t support that. It’s just a way to break the bank,” said Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican.
Two other Republicans, Representatives Victoria Spartz and David Schweikert, also currently oppose the legislation.
The House passed a resolution under Speaker Mike Johnson last week to fund the full bill of the president. Various House committees must meet to develop proposals for the deal with the Senate.
The House resolution proposed increasing spending on border security, the judiciary, and defense by approximately $300 billion while aiming to cut spending by at least $1.5 trillion to $2 trillion in other areas.
The bill allocated $4.5 trillion to extend provisions from Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which are set to expire at the end of the year.
An amendment brokered by House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, and conservatives on his panel would require lawmakers to implement $2 trillion in cuts. If they fail to do so, the $4.5 trillion allocated for Trump’s tax cuts would be reduced by the shortfall.
The resolution also adhered to Trump’s directive on the debt limit, raising it by $4 trillion, covering approximately two years.
Republicans are approaching two key deadlines related to government funding and fiscal policy in the coming weeks.
They must pass legislation to prevent a government shutdown before current funding expires on March 14. Speaker Johnson expressed his hope to pass a “clean” stopgap funding bill that would maintain spending at current levels.
Despite rumors, no cuts are targeted for Medicaid or other entitlement programs.
“The president was clear about that. I was clear about that,” Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., said last week. “We will work through this, but the objective today is to begin the process.”