President Donald Trump is urging the Republican-run Senate to get rid of a procedural hurdle that could keep his tax overhaul from becoming law.
Trump opined this morning on Twitter that the filibuster rule is a ‘Repub Death Wish’ that’s preventing them from fulfilling campaign promises. He also told his party to pass tax reform ‘ASAP.’
‘Don’t wait until the end of September. Needed now more than ever. Hurry!’
The president’s directives preceded a vote in the House this morning to fund the government and extend the nation’s borrowing authority through the beginning of December.
A compromise bill that includes $15.3 billion for hurricane relief efforts passed 316-90 with a shove from 183 Democrats.
President Donald Trump is urging the Republican-run Senate to get rid of a procedural hurdle that could keep his tax overhaul from becoming law
Trump enraged Republicans this week when he agreed to a set of terms for government spending offered by top Democrats Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi.
He took the Democratic leaders up on an offer to approve Harvey aid so long as the measure was attached to continuing resolution to put the federal government on a glide path for three more months.
GOP leaders were opposed to the plan. It was their preference that legislators raise the debt ceiling for another 18 months, past the next set of federal elections, and tackle the fiscal year 2018 budget separately.
House Speaker Paul Ryan had gone so far as to publicly call the measure ‘ridiculous’ at a news conference.
Trump shocked both political parties on Wednesday when he sided with Schumer and Pelosi.
Ryan said Thursday that Trump wanted a ‘bipartisan moment’ in the face of menacing storms along the Gulf Coast.
‘What the president didn’t want to do is have some partisan fight in the middle of the response to this,’ Ryan said. ‘He wanted to have a bipartisan response and not a food fight on the timing of the debt limit attached to this bill.’
The Senate approved the package Thursday and left town. They nearly doubled Trump’s initial request for Havey aid on top of what Trump and congressional leaders had already agreed on. The bill now awaits a vote in the House.
Trump aides say the president gave in to Democrats’ demands because he wanted to ‘clear the decks’ for tax reform this fall.
Trump opined this morning on Twitter that the filibuster rule is a ‘Repub Death Wish’ that’s preventing them from fulfilling campaign promises. He also told his party to pass tax reform ‘ASAP’
A bold timeline has Congress marking up a bill in the tax-writing committees this month. The administration envisions the legislation moving through the House in October and receiving a vote in the Senate in November.
‘We want America to wake up on New Year’s Day 2018 with a new tax system,’ Ryan eagerly proclaimed on Thursday.
For the bill to pass the Senate, Trump will need the help of eight Democrats. He has four in mind – Missouri’s Claire McCaskill, North Dakota’s Heidi Heitkamp, West Virginia’s Joe Manchin and Indiana’s Joe Donnelly. The other four won’t be so easy to come by.
That’s why Trump is pushing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to change the way the Senate operates. If the upper chamber got rid of a rule requiring 60 votes on the motion to proceed to debate on legislation, the party in power could approve legislation with a simple majority of 51 senators or 50 senators plus the vice president.
‘Republicans, sorry, but I’ve been hearing about Repeal & Replace for 7 years, didn’t happen!’ Trump said today in a two-part tweet. ‘Even worse, the Senate Filibuster Rule will never allow the Republicans to pass even great legislation. 8 Dems control – will rarely get 60 (vs. 51) votes. It is a Repub Death Wish!’
The president’s directives preceded a vote in the House to fund the government and extend the nation’s borrowing authority through the beginning of December. A compromise bill that includes $15.3 billion for hurricane relief efforts passed with a shove from Democrats
The appeal came in the context of his tax cut package and his unexpected deal with Democrats.
Trump said in message that followed, ‘Republicans must start the Tax Reform/Tax Cut legislation ASAP. Don’t wait until the end of September. Needed now more than ever. Hurry!’
With other major legislative priorities on hold until December, when the continuing resolution lawmakers are passing today runs out, the legislative branch is free to focus on Trump’s tax proposal.
‘The major blueprint has been outlined it’s going to go to the committees,’ Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said yesterday on Fox. ‘The committees will add to different parts of this, but we have a path to get this done this year and we’re still very hopeful we can get it done.’
Mnuchin said, ‘That’s the president and my number one priority at the moment.’