Latest news with #Republican-controlled
Dubai Eye
4 hours ago
- Business
- Dubai Eye
Trump's sweeping tax-cut, spending bill clears first US Senate hurdle
The Republican-controlled US Senate narrowly advanced President Donald Trump's, sweeping tax-cut and spending bill on Saturday, during a marathon weekend session marked by political drama, division and lengthy delays as Democrats sought to slow the legislation's path to passage. Lawmakers voted 51-49 to open debate on the 940-page megabill, with two of Trump's fellow Republicans joining Democrats to oppose the legislation that would fund the president's top immigration, border, tax-cut and military priorities. Trump on social media hailed the "great victory" for his "great, big, beautiful bill." After hours of delay, during which Republican leaders and Vice President JD Vance worked behind closed doors to persuade last-minute holdouts to support the measure, Democrats demanded that the megabill first be read aloud in the chamber - a task that could delay the start of the debate until Sunday afternoon. Democrats say the bill's tax cuts would disproportionately benefit the wealthy at the expense of social programs for lower-income Americans. "Senate Republicans are scrambling to pass a radical bill, released to the public in the dead of night, praying the American people don't realise what's in it," Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said on the Senate floor. "Democrats are going to force this chamber to read it from start to finish," he said. Once the bill has been read, lawmakers will begin up to 20 hours of debate on the legislation. That will be followed by a marathon amendment session, known as a "vote-a-rama," before the Senate votes on passage. Lawmakers said they hoped to complete work on the bill on Monday. Republican Senators Thom Tillis and Rand Paul voted against opening debate, a move that seemed for a time to be in danger of failing. Trump attacked Tillis, who opposed the bill's cuts to the Medicaid healthcare program for lower-income Americans, which he said would be devastating for his native North Carolina. Tillis is up for reelection next year. "Numerous people have come forward wanting to run in the Primary against 'Senator Thom' Tillis. I will be meeting with them over the coming weeks," the president posted. Paul opposed the legislation because it would raise the federal borrowing limit on the $36.2 trillion US debt by an additional $5 trillion. "Did Rand Paul Vote 'NO' again tonight? What's wrong with this guy???" Trump said on social media. IN LIMBO Saturday's vote was in limbo for hours as Vance, Senate Majority Leader John Thune and other top Republicans sought to persuade last-minute holdouts to support the legislation. It was not clear what deals if any were struck to win over their support. Hardline Republican Senators Rick Scott, Mike Lee and Cynthia Lummis, who want deeper cuts in federal spending, voted to support the bill in the end. Another hardliner, Senator Ron Johnson, initially voted no but flipped his vote and backed the legislation. Trump was monitoring the vote from the Oval Office late into the night, a senior White House official said. The megabill would extend the 2017 tax cuts that were Trump's main legislative achievement during his first term as president, cut other taxes and boost spending on the military and border security. The nonpartisan Joint Tax Committee released an analysis projecting that the Senate bill's tax provisions would reduce government revenue by $4.5 trillion over the next decade, increasing the $36.2-trillion US government debt. The White House said this month the legislation would reduce the annual deficit by $1.4 trillion. The world's richest person, Elon Musk, also took a swipe at the bill, which would end tax breaks for the electric vehicles that his automaker Tesla manufactures. Calling the bill "utterly insane and destructive," he risked reigniting a feud with Trump that raged earlier this month, before Musk backed down from his rhetoric. "The latest Senate draft bill will destroy millions of jobs in America and cause immense strategic harm to our country!" Musk wrote in a post on his social media platform X. MEDICAID CHANGES Republicans from states with large rural populations have opposed a reduction in state tax revenue for Medicaid providers, including rural hospitals. The newly released legislation would delay that reduction and would include $25 billion to support rural Medicaid providers from 2028 to 2032. The legislation would raise the cap on federal deductions for state and local taxes to $40,000 with an annual 1% inflation adjustment through 2029, after which it would fall back to the current $10,000. The bill would also phase the cap down for those earning more than $500,000 a year. That is a major concern of House Republicans from coastal states, including New York, New Jersey and California, who play an important role in keeping the party's narrow House majority. Republicans are using a legislative maneuver to bypass the Senate's 60-vote threshold to advance most legislation in the 100-member chamber. Democrats will focus their firepower with amendments aimed at reversing Republican spending cuts to programs that provide government-backed healthcare to the elderly, poor and disabled, as well as food aid to low-income families. The bill also would raise the Treasury Department's debt ceiling by trillions of dollars to stave off a potentially disastrous default on the nation's debt in the coming months. If the Senate passes the bill, it will then return to the House of Representatives for final passage before Trump can sign it into law. The House passed its version of the bill last month.
The Herald Scotland
7 hours ago
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' still shrinking. What else has been cut?
"Now we have the opportunity to pass a bill that advances all of these priorities and sets our country up for better days ahead," Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, said during a June 27 floor speech. More: Big Beautiful Bill 101: What you need to know about Trump's tax bill The Republican-controlled chamber has hit several speed bumps along the way, however, not due to resistant Democrats, who flatly oppose major portions of Trump's agenda, or reluctant GOP members who aren't satisfied with the cost reductions. Instead it has been the chamber's referee, Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough, acting as the proposal's greatest obstacle by ruling that many Republican-sought provisions violate the Byrd Rule, which prescribes which bills can pass with a simple 51-vote majority or require the 60-vote threshold to break a filibuster. The basics: To avoid a filibuster, all the provisions of a bill must directly impact the federal budget. The parliamentarian's initial decisions mean Republicans have yanked out efforts to curb environmental regulations; restrict federal judges' powers; bulk up immigration enforcement; and cut funding from a consumer protection agency. She also ruled against provisions that would've cut Medicaid spending on health care programs for undocumented immigrants. "We have been successful in removing parts of this bill that hurt families and workers, but the process is not over, and Democrats are continuing to make the case against every provision in this big, beautiful betrayal of a bill that violates Senate rules," Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, said in a press release. In response, Senate Republicans and the White House are cooking up alternative proposals to major sections in order to reach their budget savings goals and meet other promises while keeping anxious caucus members in their herd. "This bill delivers on the mandate the American people gave Republicans last year... It's right around the corner," Thune said. But as the Senate GOP scrambles to help get the proposal to the president's desk with a marathon of votes expected this weekend, the parliamentarian determined in recent days there are still more provisions in violation of the critical Senate rule named after the late-Sen. Robert Byrd, D-West Virginia. Here's what else is coming out and coming back to the massive measure. Asylum-seeker fees and other immigration reforms One item that is bound to fire up the MAGA base that is being yanked out of the mega-bill are various new fees on migrants seeking asylum in the U.S., which is part of the Trump administration's larger anti-immigration crackdown. The Senate parliamentarian ruled against various provisions that Republicans were touting such as an attempt to charge migrants a $1,000 fee when applying for asylum; a $100 fee on migrants who request a continuance in immigration court; a $250 fee for applying to the diversity visa lottery; and a $400 fee to process diversity visa applications. She also struck out language that would have required a $5,000 bond to sponsor an unaccompanied child who fails to appear in immigration court and language speeding up the removal of non-citizens who are arrested for allegedly breaking laws that were strengthened by the bipartisan Laken Riley Act Trump signed earlier this year. Auctioning broadband spectrum Republicans had been working for months behind the scenes on a plan that supporters of the bill said would free up hundreds of megahertz of wireless spectrum and raise needed revenue. Under the Senate's proposed bill, the federal government would give a green light to the Federal Communications Commission to auction 600 megahertz of spectrum through 2034, which lawmakers in favor said would rake in $85 billion to help offset the Trump tax cuts. Others point out it would be a big win for mobile carriers such as AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile who want a licensed system to continue after the FCC's ability to auction off spectrum expired in 2023. But the parliamentarian advised that the idea must go through a different legislative process requiring a filibuster-proof vote. NASA space vehicle transfer One tiny provision you may not have heard about in the massive proposal is a plan to relocate the Space Shuttle Discovery - the most utilized orbiter in U.S. history - from the Smithsonian's air and space museum outside Washington, D.C., to a non-profit in Texas. Moving the 172,000-pound NASA shuttle, which flew 39 Earth-orbital missions and spent 365 days in space, appears to cost roughly $85 million. It's a major priority for Texas Republican Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, who filed a bill in April seeking to transfer the behemoth to a place near NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. The Space Shuttle Discovery is the only shuttle still owned by the federal government. A.I. moratorium returns It wasn't all bad news for Senate Republicans, however, as the chamber's referee ruled June 27 that a provision prohibiting states from regulating artificial intelligence for a decade can remain in the package. The Senate version is looking to dole out $500 million to a program dedicated to increasing broadband access and that specifies that money can be used for developing A.I. models and systems, which is a rapidly developing technology. MacDonough initially expressed concern that the provision, siding with Democrats who asserted it would break the Byrd rule by impacting $42 billion in broadband funding. But she later said that specific language won't violate the rule as long as the legislation applies to the new $500 million spending provided in the reconciliation bill.
NDTV
7 hours ago
- Business
- NDTV
Trump's Sweeping Tax-Cut, Spending Bill Clears First US Senate Hurdle
The Republican-controlled US Senate advanced President Donald Trump's sweeping tax-cut and spending bill in a key procedural vote late on Saturday, raising the odds that lawmakers will be able to pass his "big, beautiful bill" in the coming days. The measure, Trump's top legislative goal, passed its first procedural hurdle in a 51 to 49 vote, with two Republican senators voting against it. The result came after several hours of negotiation as Republican leaders and Vice President JD Vance sought to persuade last-minute holdouts in a series of closed-door negotiations. The procedural vote, which would start debate on the 940-page megabill to fund Trump's top immigration, border, tax-cut and military priorities, began after hours of delay. It then remained open for more than three hours of standstill as three Republican senators - Thom Tillis, Ron Johnson and Rand Paul - joined Democrats to oppose the legislation. Three others - Senators Rick Scott, Mike Lee and Cynthia Lummis - negotiated with Republican leaders into the night in hopes of securing bigger spending cuts. In the end, Wisconsin Senator Johnson flipped his no vote to yes, leaving only Paul and Tillis opposed among Republicans. Trump was monitoring the vote from the Oval Office late into the night, a senior White House official said. The megabill would extend the 2017 tax cuts that were Trump's main legislative achievement during his first term as president, cut other taxes and boost spending on the military and border security. Nonpartisan analysts estimate that a version of Trump's tax-cut and spending bill would add trillions to the $36.2-trillion U.S. government debt. Democrats fiercely opposed the bill, saying its tax-cut elements would disproportionately benefit the wealthy at the expense of social programs that lower-income Americans rely upon. Chuck Schumer, the Senate's top Democrat, demanded that the bill be read aloud before debate could begin, saying the Senate Republicans were scrambling to pass a "radical bill". "If Senate Republicans won't tell the American people what's in this bill, then Democrats are going to force this chamber to read it from start to finish," the New York Democrat said.
The Advertiser
8 hours ago
- Business
- The Advertiser
Trump's 'big beautiful bill' clears first Senate hurdle
The Republican-controlled US Senate has advanced President Donald Trump's sweeping tax-cut and spending bill in a key procedural vote, raising the odds the "big, beautiful bill" will be passed in coming days. The sweeping tax-cut and spending measure, Trump's top legislative goal, passed its first procedural hurdle in a 51 to 49 vote late on Saturday, US time (Sunday afternoon AEST), with two Republican senators voting against it. The result came after several hours of negotiation as Republican leaders and Vice President JD Vance sought to persuade last-minute holdouts in a series of closed-door negotiations. The procedural vote, which would start debate on the 940-page megabill to fund Trump's top immigration, border, tax-cut and military priorities, began after hours of delay. It then remained open for more than three hours of standstill as three Republican senators joined Democrats to oppose the legislation. In the end, Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson flipped his no vote to yes, leaving only two senators opposed among Republicans. Trump was monitoring the vote from the Oval Office late into the night, a senior White House official said. The megabill - titled the One Big Beautiful Bill Act - would extend the 2017 tax cuts that were Trump's main legislative achievement during his first term as president, cut other taxes and boost spending on the military and border security. Nonpartisan analysts estimate that a version of the bill would add trillions to US government debt. Democrats fiercely opposed the bill, saying its tax-cut elements would disproportionately benefit the wealthy at the expense of social programs that lower-income Americans rely upon. Elon Musk doubled down on his opposition to the bill, arguing the legislation would kill jobs and bog down burgeoning industries. "The latest Senate draft bill will destroy millions of jobs in America and cause immense strategic harm to our country," Musk wrote on his social media platform X ahead of the vote. "It gives handouts to industries of the past while severely damaging industries of the future." The Tesla and SpaceX chief, whose birthday was also on Saturday, later posted the bill would be "political suicide for the Republican Party". The criticisms reopened a recent fiery conflict between the former head of the Department of Government Efficiency and the administration he recently left. The Republican-controlled US Senate has advanced President Donald Trump's sweeping tax-cut and spending bill in a key procedural vote, raising the odds the "big, beautiful bill" will be passed in coming days. The sweeping tax-cut and spending measure, Trump's top legislative goal, passed its first procedural hurdle in a 51 to 49 vote late on Saturday, US time (Sunday afternoon AEST), with two Republican senators voting against it. The result came after several hours of negotiation as Republican leaders and Vice President JD Vance sought to persuade last-minute holdouts in a series of closed-door negotiations. The procedural vote, which would start debate on the 940-page megabill to fund Trump's top immigration, border, tax-cut and military priorities, began after hours of delay. It then remained open for more than three hours of standstill as three Republican senators joined Democrats to oppose the legislation. In the end, Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson flipped his no vote to yes, leaving only two senators opposed among Republicans. Trump was monitoring the vote from the Oval Office late into the night, a senior White House official said. The megabill - titled the One Big Beautiful Bill Act - would extend the 2017 tax cuts that were Trump's main legislative achievement during his first term as president, cut other taxes and boost spending on the military and border security. Nonpartisan analysts estimate that a version of the bill would add trillions to US government debt. Democrats fiercely opposed the bill, saying its tax-cut elements would disproportionately benefit the wealthy at the expense of social programs that lower-income Americans rely upon. Elon Musk doubled down on his opposition to the bill, arguing the legislation would kill jobs and bog down burgeoning industries. "The latest Senate draft bill will destroy millions of jobs in America and cause immense strategic harm to our country," Musk wrote on his social media platform X ahead of the vote. "It gives handouts to industries of the past while severely damaging industries of the future." The Tesla and SpaceX chief, whose birthday was also on Saturday, later posted the bill would be "political suicide for the Republican Party". The criticisms reopened a recent fiery conflict between the former head of the Department of Government Efficiency and the administration he recently left. The Republican-controlled US Senate has advanced President Donald Trump's sweeping tax-cut and spending bill in a key procedural vote, raising the odds the "big, beautiful bill" will be passed in coming days. The sweeping tax-cut and spending measure, Trump's top legislative goal, passed its first procedural hurdle in a 51 to 49 vote late on Saturday, US time (Sunday afternoon AEST), with two Republican senators voting against it. The result came after several hours of negotiation as Republican leaders and Vice President JD Vance sought to persuade last-minute holdouts in a series of closed-door negotiations. The procedural vote, which would start debate on the 940-page megabill to fund Trump's top immigration, border, tax-cut and military priorities, began after hours of delay. It then remained open for more than three hours of standstill as three Republican senators joined Democrats to oppose the legislation. In the end, Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson flipped his no vote to yes, leaving only two senators opposed among Republicans. Trump was monitoring the vote from the Oval Office late into the night, a senior White House official said. The megabill - titled the One Big Beautiful Bill Act - would extend the 2017 tax cuts that were Trump's main legislative achievement during his first term as president, cut other taxes and boost spending on the military and border security. Nonpartisan analysts estimate that a version of the bill would add trillions to US government debt. Democrats fiercely opposed the bill, saying its tax-cut elements would disproportionately benefit the wealthy at the expense of social programs that lower-income Americans rely upon. Elon Musk doubled down on his opposition to the bill, arguing the legislation would kill jobs and bog down burgeoning industries. "The latest Senate draft bill will destroy millions of jobs in America and cause immense strategic harm to our country," Musk wrote on his social media platform X ahead of the vote. "It gives handouts to industries of the past while severely damaging industries of the future." The Tesla and SpaceX chief, whose birthday was also on Saturday, later posted the bill would be "political suicide for the Republican Party". The criticisms reopened a recent fiery conflict between the former head of the Department of Government Efficiency and the administration he recently left. The Republican-controlled US Senate has advanced President Donald Trump's sweeping tax-cut and spending bill in a key procedural vote, raising the odds the "big, beautiful bill" will be passed in coming days. The sweeping tax-cut and spending measure, Trump's top legislative goal, passed its first procedural hurdle in a 51 to 49 vote late on Saturday, US time (Sunday afternoon AEST), with two Republican senators voting against it. The result came after several hours of negotiation as Republican leaders and Vice President JD Vance sought to persuade last-minute holdouts in a series of closed-door negotiations. The procedural vote, which would start debate on the 940-page megabill to fund Trump's top immigration, border, tax-cut and military priorities, began after hours of delay. It then remained open for more than three hours of standstill as three Republican senators joined Democrats to oppose the legislation. In the end, Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson flipped his no vote to yes, leaving only two senators opposed among Republicans. Trump was monitoring the vote from the Oval Office late into the night, a senior White House official said. The megabill - titled the One Big Beautiful Bill Act - would extend the 2017 tax cuts that were Trump's main legislative achievement during his first term as president, cut other taxes and boost spending on the military and border security. Nonpartisan analysts estimate that a version of the bill would add trillions to US government debt. Democrats fiercely opposed the bill, saying its tax-cut elements would disproportionately benefit the wealthy at the expense of social programs that lower-income Americans rely upon. Elon Musk doubled down on his opposition to the bill, arguing the legislation would kill jobs and bog down burgeoning industries. "The latest Senate draft bill will destroy millions of jobs in America and cause immense strategic harm to our country," Musk wrote on his social media platform X ahead of the vote. "It gives handouts to industries of the past while severely damaging industries of the future." The Tesla and SpaceX chief, whose birthday was also on Saturday, later posted the bill would be "political suicide for the Republican Party". The criticisms reopened a recent fiery conflict between the former head of the Department of Government Efficiency and the administration he recently left.
The Sun
8 hours ago
- Business
- The Sun
Trump's tax-cut and spending bill clears first US Senate hurdle
WASHINGTON: The US Senate narrowly approved a procedural vote on President Donald Trump's sweeping tax-cut and spending bill, setting the stage for an overnight debate. The Republican-controlled chamber voted 51-49, with two GOP senators joining Democrats in opposition. The 940-page bill, which funds immigration, military, and tax priorities, faced delays as Democrats demanded a full reading before debate could begin. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer criticized the rushed process, calling it a 'radical bill' released 'in the dead of night.' Republican Senators Thom Tillis and Rand Paul opposed the bill, citing concerns over Medicaid cuts and increased federal debt. Trump criticised Tillis on social media, hinting at potential primary challengers. The legislation extends Trump's 2017 tax cuts, boosts military and border security spending, and raises the federal debt ceiling by $5 trillion. A nonpartisan analysis estimates the bill could add $4.5 trillion to the national debt over a decade. Elon Musk condemned the bill, calling it 'utterly insane and destructive' for ending electric vehicle tax breaks. Meanwhile, Republicans adjusted provisions to delay Medicaid cuts and support rural hospitals. If passed, the bill returns to the House for final approval before reaching Trump's desk.
