Donald Trump signaled Thursday that he’s not sure whether Senate Republicans will be able to pass their 2018 budget resolution when the upper chamber of Congress convenes for a freewheeling ‘vote-a-rama’ session.
‘Republicans are going for the big Budget approval today, first step toward massive tax cuts. I think we have the votes, but who knows?’ the president tweeted.
Thursday’s unusually unrestrained legislative exercise is a periodic bit of organized chaos in which more amendments will be allowed than usual – and the GOP needs to prevail in order to move forward on tax reform.
President Donald Trump met Wednesday with members of the Senate Finance Committee, and tweeted Thursday morning that he’s not sure what will happen in a cliffhanger budget vote
Trump tweeted that he doesn’t know if the GOP has enough Senate support to push it through: ‘Who knows?’
With a budget approved, Senate leaders would be able to use an arcane procedure called ‘reconciliation’ to force a tax bill through on a simple majority vote.
Without it, any tax package would need an impossible 60 votes to proceed.
Even 50 has been a tough number for Senate Republicans to crack: They were unable to unify this year on a proposal to repeal and replace the Obamacare law.
This week they hope the return of Mississippi Sen. Thad Cochran from a long illness and Tuesday’s surprising thumbs-up from Arizona Sen. John McCain will help grease the skids.
Trump has insisted his tax cut proposal will help ordinary Americans, batting away charges that the rich could benefit just as much or more.
‘We want to make sure that the middle class is the biggest beneficiary of the tax cuts and tax reform,’ he said Monday at the White House.
‘It’s a middle-class bill. That’s what we’re thinking of. That’s what I want.’
Republican Arizona Senator John McCain said Tuesday that he will back a Republican budget push
Republicans are also buoyed by the return of Mississippi Sen. Thad Cochran from a long illness
The White House’s Council of Economic Advisers released a prediction on Monday that cutting corporate tax rates would produce a trickle-down effect putting an additional $4,000 to $9,000 per year in the bank accounts of typical working families.
The House of Representatives could take up the Senate’s budget bill next week, presuming it passes.
House Republicans have already passed their own 2018 budget; the Senate’s version is expected to be more politically moderate in ways that could upset tea party conservatives.
Still, Axios reports, Trump has already begun to call GOP members urging them to hold their nose and pass it quickly so the tax negotiations can advance.