Republican senators press to approve border law without Trump tax cuts

The United States Senate began on Thursday a debate on a republican bill to promote the priorities of President Donald Trump regarding immigration, energy and defense, even after he urged legislators to discard the effort in favor of a project of the Law of the Chamber of Representatives that would also include billions of dollars in tax cuts.

This week, Trump was firmly spoken in favor of the Republicans of the House of Representatives of a single draft high range. The supporters of that plan fear that first approveing ​​an immigration bill can reduce its possibilities to extend 4.5 billion dollars in tax cuts in the Chamber, where Republicans have a close majority of 218-215.

The Senate Republicans said that, however, they would continue with their most limited plan and address tax cuts in a subsequent bill. They are trying to avoid the Democratic opposition in that camera and ensure an early legislative victory for Trump.

Democrats lack the votes to stop the bill, but have promised to fight against him as long as possible, accusing Republicans of harming US families to benefit the rich with tax exemptions.

«We are going to be here all night,» proclaimed Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer just before voting the amendments that began on Thursday night.

Schumer presented the first amendment, which seeks to ban tax cuts for those who earn more than one billion dollars. The Republicans blocked the amendment.

Democratic senator Tim Kaine warned the Senate that he was only looking for a debate about about two dozen amendments that covered tax cuts for the middle class to measures that protect federal workers from dismissal and social security network programs against cuts

The Republican President of the Senate Budget Committee, Lindsey Graham, said earlier that night that there was an urgent need to strengthen border security and the US army. He argued that the highest ordered expense in the legislation would be «compensated with 342 billion dollars in cuts in other parts of the government.»

In a process of the Senate that is rarely used, known as «Vote-A-Rama», you can offer amendments until both parties agree to stop. Normally, the two parties agree a small set of amendments to discuss the Senate on the legislation.

Republicans were expected to have an 53-47 advantage over the Democrats in the Senate, defeated dozens of opposition amendments.

Both cameras of Congress need to approve the same budget resolution to unlock the parliamentary tool that would allow Republicans to promulgate Trump’s legislative agenda in a way that avoids the Senate’s Democratic opposition and obstructionism.

The Democrats made use of this maneuver in the first two years of the presidency of Joe Biden, when they had majorities in both cameras of Congress.

The Senate bill, which leaves the issue of the extension desired by Trump of its 2017 tax cuts for a subsequent date, could serve as support in case the Chamber Republicans cannot agree on how to pay Tax cuts in your bill without cutting the financing of popular security network programs such as Medicaid and social security or potentially increase the debt of 36 billion dollars in the country.

The measure of the Senate, a budget resolution of 340,000 million dollars for fiscal year 2025, would increase spending by 85,000 million dollars a year for four years to finance greater border security, deportation of illegal immigrants in the country by Trump, energy deregulation and an increase in military spending.

The budget resolution of the House of Representatives includes those same priorities together with 4.5 billions of dollars in tax cuts, while seeking to cover the cost through 2,000 million dollars in expenses of expenses and an accelerated economic growth mainly based in the changes in the fiscal and energy policy that would introduce.

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