Democrat Colin Allred is running again for US Senate in Texas
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CBC
23 minutes ago
- CBC
U.S. Senate passes Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill,' sends to House for final approval
Social Sharing The Republican-controlled U.S. Senate passed President Donald Trump's tax and spending bill on Tuesday, signing off on a massive package that would enshrine many of his top priorities into law while adding $3.3 trillion US to the national debt. The bill now heads back to the House of Representatives for final approval. Trump has pushed lawmakers to get it to his desk to sign into law by the July 4 Independence Day holiday. Trump's Republicans have had to navigate a narrow path while shepherding the 940-page bill through a Congress that they control by the slimmest of margins. With Democrats lined up in opposition, Republicans have had only three votes to spare in both the House and Senate as they wrangled over specific tax breaks and health-care policies that could reshape entire industries and leave millions of people uninsured. Yet they have managed to stay largely unified so far. Only three of the Senate's 53 Republicans joined with Democrats to vote against the package, which passed 51-50 after Vice-President JD Vance cast the tiebreaking vote. The vote in the House, where Republicans hold a 220-212 majority, is likely to be close as well. 'Not fiscal responsibility' An initial version passed with only two votes to spare in May, and several Republicans in that chamber have said they do not support the version that has emerged from the Senate, which the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates will add $800 billion US more to the national debt than the House version. The House Freedom Caucus, a group of hardline conservatives who repeatedly threatened to withhold their support for the tax bill, is pushing for more spending cuts than what the Senate offered. "The Senate's version adds $651 billion to the deficit — and that's before interest costs, which nearly double the total," the caucus posted online on Monday, "That's not fiscal responsibility. It's not what we agreed to." A group of more moderate House Republicans, especially those who represent lower-income areas, object to the steeper Medicaid cuts in the Senate's plan. WATCH | Legislation will go back to the House for a final round of votes: Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill' advances to next Senate phase, but fate remains in question 2 days ago Duration 5:07 Senate Republicans voting in a Saturday session narrowly cleared a key procedural step as they race to advance U.S. President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act — a package of tax breaks, spending cuts and bolstered deportation funds. The 940-page bill was released shortly before midnight. If the Senate is able to pass it, the legislation will go back to the House for a final round of votes before it could reach the White House. "I will not support a final bill that eliminates vital funding streams our hospitals rely on," Rep. David Valadao, a California Republican, said during the weekend debate. Still, House Republicans are likely to face enormous pressure to fall in line from Trump in the days to come. Tax breaks, immigration crackdown, tighter benefits The One Big Beautiful Bill Act would make permanent Trump's 2017 business and personal income tax cuts, which are due to expire at the end of this year, and dole out new tax breaks for tipped income, overtime and seniors that he promised during the 2024 election. It provides tens of billions of dollars for Trump's immigration crackdown and would repeal many of Democratic president Joe Biden's green-energy incentives. The bill would also tighten eligibility for food and health safety net programs, which non-partisan analysts say would effectively reduce income for poorer Americans who would have to pay for more of those costs. The CBO estimates the latest version of the bill would add $3.3 trillion US to the $36.2 trillion debt pile. That increased debt effectively serves as a wealth transfer from younger to older Americans, non-partisan analysts say, as it will slow economic growth, raise borrowing costs and crowd out other government spending in the decades to come. The bill also would raise the nation's borrowing limit by $5 trillion US, postponing the prospect of a debt default this summer that would roil global markets. WATCH | How Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill' could affect Canadians' wallets: What Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill' means for Canadians' wallets 1 month ago Duration 4:49 Republicans rejected the cost estimate generated by the CBO's long-standing methodology. Nonetheless, foreign bond investors see incentives to diversify out of U.S. Treasuries as deficits deepen. Republicans say the bill will help families and small businesses and put benefit programs like Medicaid on a more sustainable path, and they have broadly agreed on its main contours. But they have struggled to agree on the Medicaid funding mechanism and a tax break for state and local tax payments that is a top priority for a handful of House Republicans from high-tax states including New York, New Jersey and California. Others worry that a crackdown on a funding mechanism for the Medicaid health program could lead to service cutbacks in rural areas. Some on the party's right flank, meanwhile, have pushed for deeper Medicare cuts to lessen its budgetary impact. Trump has singled out those Republican dissenters on his Truth Social network and excluded them from White House events, and few have been willing to defy him since he returned to office in January. Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, one of the three Republicans who voted against the bill, said on Sunday he would not run for re-election next year.
Toronto Star
an hour ago
- Toronto Star
Harvey Epstein wins NYC Council primary, defeating Anthony Weiner's comeback bid
NEW YORK (AP) — State Assembly Member Harvey Epstein has won the Democratic primary for a New York City Council seat in lower Manhattan, thwarting former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner's long-shot attempt to return to the political stage. Voting concluded June 24, but the winner wasn't established until Tuesday when ranked choice voting results were released. Epstein now moves to the city's general election in the fall.
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Harvey Epstein wins NYC Council primary, defeating Anthony Weiner's comeback bid
NEW YORK (AP) — State Assembly Member Harvey Epstein has won the Democratic primary for a New York City Council seat in lower Manhattan, thwarting former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner's long-shot attempt to return to the political stage. Voting concluded June 24, but the winner wasn't established until Tuesday when ranked choice voting results were released. Epstein now moves to the city's general election in the fall. Weiner had entered the race in the hopes of restarting his political career after it was derailed by sexting scandals. He was eventually sent to prison for sending sexually explicit messages to a 15-year-old girl. He finished far behind Epstein and some other candidates. While Weiner's candidacy brought a spotlight to the primary, Epstein also captured some unexpected attention. Late last year, a 'Saturday Night Live' sketch spoofed his name's similarity to sex offenders Harvey Weinstein and Jeffery Epstein, with comedian John Mulaney playing the part of a candidate struggling to make clear to voters that he was not, in fact, one of the notorious sex criminals. Harvey Epstein took the bit in stride, reposting it on his Instagram account. The former lawyer and tenant organizer has been in the state legislature since 2018. Weiner had been a strong Democratic voice in Congress before his political star plummeted in 2011 after he sent a lewd picture of himself to a college student on Twitter. He resigned from Congress, tried a comeback by running for New York City mayor, then got caught up in another sexting scandal. In 2017, prosecutors said he had engaged in illicit online contact with a high school student. Weiner pleaded guilty to transferring obscene material to a minor. During the campaign, Weiner did not shy away from his past scandal, but told The Associated Press he struggled with how best to address what he had done when talking to voters.
