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Senate Approves Budget Plan That Smooths Path Toward Tax Cut

ponpo

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https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/19/us/politics/budget-vote-senate.html

WASHINGTON — The Senate took a significant step toward rewriting the tax code on Thursday night with the passage of a budget blueprint that would protect a $1.5 trillion tax cut from a Democratic filibuster.

The budget resolution could also pave the way for opening up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska to oil exploration by ensuring that drilling legislation can pass with only Republican votes.

The Senate voted 51 to 49 to approve the blueprint.

Despite having full control of the government, Republicans have so far been unable to produce a marquee legislative achievement in the first year of Mr. Trump's presidency, putting even more pressure on lawmakers to succeed in passing a tax bill. The budget's passage could keep Republicans on track to pass a tax package late this year or early in 2018.

The House could pick up the Senate-passed budget as early as next week and give final approval to parliamentary language protecting the Republicans' coveted tax effort. If House Republicans instead insist on negotiating a compromise that melds the Senate and House budget plans, tax legislation could be delayed.

”This is the last, best chance we will have to cut taxes," said Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina and a member of the Budget Committee, who warned that the consequences would be ruinous if the party failed.

”That will be the end of us as a party," he said, ”because if you're a Republican and you don't want to simplify the tax code and cut taxes, what good are you to anybody?"

The Senate gave its approval to the budget blueprint on Thursday night after considering a flurry of amendments, a tedious process that gives the minority party an opportunity to force the majority to endure politically difficult votes. One Democratic amendment that was rejected sought to stop tax cuts from going to the top 1 percent; another would have restored cuts to Medicare.

In Congress, the annual budget resolution provides an outline of federal spending and revenues. The Senate's blueprint, for the 2018 fiscal year that began Oct. 1, claims to achieve a balanced budget within a decade, assuming greater economic growth and using an accounting method that excludes Social Security. In order to erase projected deficits, it calls for trillions of dollars in spending cuts over the coming decade.

But the cuts exist only on paper, without legislation to achieve them.

Even so, Democrats sounded the alarm, warning that the aspirational cuts in the budget plan called for slicing more than $1 trillion from Medicaid and about $470 billion from Medicare over a decade.

Though Democrats have pleaded to have more say in the tax overhaul, parliamentary language in the budget resolution would allow Republicans to pass a tax bill without any cooperation from the minority party.

”Passing this budget is not a requirement for passing tax reform," said Senator Gary Peters, Democrat of Michigan. ”Passing this budget is only a requirement to pass a tax bill with as few votes as possible, without input or buy-in from members of the minority."

I think every Democrat + Rand Paul voted against.
 

Wilsongt

Member
I, for one, look forward to watching the government not have money to pay for their bloated military budget in the future.
 

Aselith

Member
All these oldies that voted for the GOP reaping what they sowed. Be better next time, voters, I hope it doesn't burn you too bad in the short term. :/
 
I am happy the Senate got this done. I look forward to the ultra rich getting even more rich and us poor folk not having health care.
/s
 
Before too many snarky posts get up, this is just a budget resolution. It's a framework that contains the instructions to allow them to pass a tax cut bill with 50 votes not the actual tax cut bill.

It's not even an actual budget, it's just the framework for one to be passed.
 

boingball

Member
I am happy the Senate got this done. I look forward to the ultra rich getting even more rich and us poor folk not having health care.
/s

What would motivate you to live a healthy life style if you get health care? So the tax plan is a win-win. Makes rich richer and poor healthier.
 

Protein

Banned
Well, on the bright side, Republican Boomers are about to be culled by this. They want their tax cuts so bad, let's see how long they last without their safety nets.
 

JettDash

Junior Member
Before too many snarky posts get up, this is just a budget resolution. It's a framework that contains the instructions to allow them to pass a tax cut bill with 50 votes not the actual tax cut bill.

It's not even an actual budget, it's just the framework for one to be passed.

Yeah, they passed a budget resolution with reconciliation instructions that allowed them to repeal Obamacare too.
 

TI82

Banned
And some people still think supply side economics and trickle down economics are good in practice. :|
 

Shauni

Member
Before too many snarky posts get up, this is just a budget resolution. It's a framework that contains the instructions to allow them to pass a tax cut bill with 50 votes not the actual tax cut bill.

It's not even an actual budget, it's just the framework for one to be passed.

Yeah, it's a bad sign, of course, but I do think it's at least worth clarifying this for now. The path is by no means immediate, especially when the real budget talks start happening and the news gets out about those steep cuts to Medicare and Medicaid.
 

Ri'Orius

Member
God dammit Democrats. When Obama was in office you claimed you couldn't do anything worthwhile because of Republican obstruction, yet somehow the GOP is able to get shit passed without 60 votes.

We barely dodged Trumpcare, ffs. Now they're going to drive up the deficit to line billionaires' pockets, and the Democrats are going to just shrug and take it for three more years.
 

Aselith

Member
Yeah, they passed a budget resolution with reconciliation instructions that allowed them to repeal Obamacare too.

Whether they managed to pass it in full, snark is still fully deserved for trying to fuck people. Just cause you've only passed a asshole resolution doesn't mean you don't deserve some shit for the aspirational assholery

God dammit Democrats. When Obama was in office you claimed you couldn't do anything worthwhile because of Republican obstruction, yet somehow the GOP is able to get shit passed without 60 votes.

We barely dodged Trumpcare, ffs. Now they're going to drive up the deficit to line billionaires' pockets, and the Democrats are going to just shrug and take it for three more years.

Most of this stuff *is* getting blocked though? Pay attention, matey
 

RDreamer

Member
I, for one, look forward to watching the government not have money to pay for their bloated military budget in the future.

Fortunately that's not how our federal government and monetary system works.

Unfortunately that's what Republicans want you to think, but it's not so they stop paying the military, it's so they will cut out the safety net instead.
 
Well, even the purists that disliked Hillary could have helped to stop this, but I guess the Senate candidates for NC, WI and PA were too "establishment" for them. What a mess.
 

Shauni

Member
God dammit Democrats. When Obama was in office you claimed you couldn't do anything worthwhile because of Republican obstruction, yet somehow the GOP is able to get shit passed without 60 votes.

We barely dodged Trumpcare, ffs. Now they're going to drive up the deficit to line billionaires' pockets, and the Democrats are going to just shrug and take it for three more years.

The GOP does something terrible and underhanded.

Damn Democrats!
 
Fortunately that's not how our federal government and monetary system works.

Unfortunately that's what Republicans want you to think, but it's not so they stop paying the military, it's so they will cut out the safety net instead.

Pretty much, anybody looking at the history of the GOP would easily guess this and it will happen. Look at all the demonization against Medicare from the GOP for example.
 

Quixzlizx

Member
God dammit Democrats. When Obama was in office you claimed you couldn't do anything worthwhile because of Republican obstruction, yet somehow the GOP is able to get shit passed without 60 votes.

We barely dodged Trumpcare, ffs. Now they're going to drive up the deficit to line billionaires' pockets, and the Democrats are going to just shrug and take it for three more years.

The Democrats did not control the House after 2010.
 

Maxim726X

Member
God dammit Democrats. When Obama was in office you claimed you couldn't do anything worthwhile because of Republican obstruction, yet somehow the GOP is able to get shit passed without 60 votes.

We barely dodged Trumpcare, ffs. Now they're going to drive up the deficit to line billionaires' pockets, and the Democrats are going to just shrug and take it for three more years.

Google reconciliation.

Then come back. Democrats are powerless to stop this, sadly.
 

Beartruck

Member
Oh great, it couldn't just be a tax plan that writes billionaires a fat check, its a tax plan that does it at the expense of millions of old people, because they've already cut the 1%'s taxes so much the only way to cut more is to kill old people. Monsters.
 
I love how the original Founding Fathers' vision of compromise is totally poisoned in this day and age. Why bother working with the other side when you take use loopholes to cut them out completely?
 

RDreamer

Member
Pretty much, anybody looking at the history of the GOP would easily guess this and it will happen. Look at all the demonization against Medicare from the GOP for example.

OMG we have no money, need to cut the safety net!

Oh hey we cut things so much it's time for a tax cut for you! (but mostly the rich)

Oh noes now we're broke again. That darned safety net needs to gooooooo
 

JettDash

Junior Member
Why am I not surprised that someone with zero idea of what they are talking about is trying to find a way to pin this on Democrats.
 
Fortunately that's not how our federal government and monetary system works.

Unfortunately that's what Republicans want you to think, but it's not so they stop paying the military, it's so they will cut out the safety net instead.

Double unfortunately, Democrats also play that game with silly "pay for" rhetoric that reinforces Republican's verbal deficit fearmongering.
 
OMG we have no money, need to cut the safety net!

Oh hey we cut things so much it's time for a tax cut for you! (but mostly the rich)

Oh noes now we're broke again. That darned safety net needs to gooooooo

Not just safety nets either. Got to cut education budgets!
 

Minus_Me

Member
As a wealthy person, I will never understand how worst off people think giving me tax cuts is going to help them in least.

Ps: I speak as a Canadian who also hears people complain about us being taxed too much.
 

Korigama

Member
”This is the last, best chance we will have to cut taxes," said Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina and a member of the Budget Committee, who warned that the consequences would be ruinous if the party failed.

”That will be the end of us as a party,"
Promises, promises, promises. As wonderful as that would be, they have the same chance of finally disappearing as cockroaches.
 

RDreamer

Member
Double unfortunately, Democrats also play that game with silly "pay for" rhetoric that reinforces Republican's verbal deficit fearmongering.

Yup, and they play right into the shit all the time even knowing that Republicans don't actually fucking care. Republicans get in power and blatantly say out loud the deficit doesn't matter, yet the Democrats are too fucking scared to.

Not just safety nets either. Got to cut education budgets!

Yeah that was the play in Wisconsin. Cut education and then give everyone this tiny ass fucking tax cut.

...thanks Walker?
 

JettDash

Junior Member
As a wealthy person, I will never understand how worst off people think giving me tax cuts is going to help them in least.

Ps: I speak as a Canadian who also hears people complain about us being tax too much.

They're brainwashed morons.

Though tax cuts for the rich is actually very unpopular which is why Trump is lying and saying his plan doesn't do that.
 

RDreamer

Member
As a wealthy person, I will never understand how worst off people think giving me tax cuts is going to help them in least.

Ps: I speak as a Canadian who also hears people complain about us being taxed too much.

Someday you'll create them a job!

In all seriousness, though, the job creator myth is ridiculous and the fact that people believe it and are so grateful to these mythical job creators that they'll keep cutting into oblivion is just sad. That's not how business or the economy works.
 

Maxim726X

Member
Promises, promises, promises. As wonderful as that would be, they have the same chance of finally disappearing as cockroaches.

Tax cuts will get done.

It's the single issue they care about. If they piss off their donors and publicly lose another battle, Graham is right. Which is exactly why it will pass, poor people be damned.
 

Beartruck

Member
I still dont get how this passes muster for reconciliation when it blows a multi-trillion dollar hole in the deficit. Doesn't this shit have to be revenue nuetral?
 

JettDash

Junior Member
I still dont get how this paases muster for reconciliation when it blows a multi-trillion dollar hole in the deficit. Doesn't this shit have to be revenue nuetral?

They can increase the deficit for ten years.

Bush passed tax cuts using reconciliation. Obama allowed most of them to stay except the top rate.
 
I still dont get how this passes muster for reconciliation when it blows a multi-trillion dollar hole in the deficit. Doesn't this shit have to be revenue nuetral?

Only if it goes beyond a 10 year window. GWB's tax cuts were set to expire after 10 years for that reason before Obama extended (most of) them.
 
Because raising taxes pisses people off.

But wouldn't it not have been raising them, but just not keeping them lowered?
(Technicality / matter of phrasing, but still).

Plus, why not lower them even more if people like that so much?
Obviously they like the services that come from them.
 

RDreamer

Member
But wouldn't it have not been raising them, but just not keeping them lowered?
(Technicality / matter of phrasing, but still).

Plus, why not lower them even more if people like that so much?
Obviously they like the services that come from them.

In the land of attack ads that's raising taxes. Aside from that, economy was still a bit frail. Best to keep the lower cuts for people.

People should read this pretty nice summary on how we got here and the Republicans' "Two Santas" theory.
 

chaosblade

Unconfirmed Member
I'm not sure how far they can go before their constituents start realizing they are being duped. Don't feel like they can get away with gutting Medicare in particular, that's about the biggest "fuck you" they could possibly give their base.
 
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