By David Morgan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A distinguished conservative senator predicted on Sunday that Donald Trump’s tax-cuts and immigration agenda is not going to advance within the U.S. Senate except the president and Republican leaders comply with slash federal spending to a degree final seen earlier than the COVID-19 pandemic.
Republican Ron Johnson, a member of the Senate’s funds and tax-writing committees, mentioned spending cuts must exceed a $2 trillion goal permitted as a part of the agenda by the Home of Representatives. He referred to as on Republican leaders to create a evaluation course of to seek out further cuts within the federal funds.
“And not using a dedication to returning to some affordable pre-pandemic spending degree, and a course of to really obtain it, I do not suppose that is going wherever,” the Wisconsin Republican informed the Fox Information’ “Sunday Morning Futures” program.
“That is going to be the dialogue,” mentioned Johnson, who needs to cut back complete federal outlays from an estimated $7 trillion this yr to a $4.4 trillion degree seen in 2019.
“We now have a once-in-a-lifetime alternative to deal with this. That is our second,” he mentioned.
Johnson’s feedback may spell bother for Senate majority chief John Thune, who hopes to move a revised model of the Home plan this week.
Republicans have a 53-47 majority within the Senate and want not less than 50 votes to move the agenda plan with Vice President JD Vance wielding a tie-breaking vote.
However congressional Republicans are broadly break up over spending cuts. Like Johnson, a number of Senate Republicans need far bigger reductions than the Home goal to pay for the Trump agenda and deal with the $36.6 trillion U.S. debt. Others are urging modest cuts to guard social safety-net applications together with Medicaid well being protection for low-income Individuals.
The Home and Senate must move the identical blueprint to unlock a parliamentary software often called funds reconciliation, which might allow them to enact Trump’s agenda later this yr by circumventing Democratic opposition within the Senate.
Final week, Trump pulled his nomination of Republican Consultant Elise Stefanik as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, saying the transfer would assist guarantee his agenda’s success within the Home, the place Republicans maintain a razor-thin 218-213 majority.
(Reporting by David MorganEditing by Colleen Jenkins and Invoice Berkrot)
Source link