Assessing Trump's Far-Reaching Policy Bill: Dismasting Differences Between House and Senate Proposals
Want to catch up on the latest political drama? Here's a lowdown on the ongoing tax and spending cuts package, lovingly dubbed by its supporters as the "big, beautiful bill." While the Congressional Republicans are aiming to get President Donald Trump's approval by July 4, they've got their work cut out for them.
First things first, the package needs to adhere to specific Senate rules, or it's back to the drawing board. These rules are like a Catalyst for the sweeping bill, clarifying what provisions are acceptable and ensuring a simple majority can pass the legislation, rather than the typical 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster.
Now, the House already gave the thumbs up to its version of the bill back in June. But don't expect the Senate and House versions to be carbon copies of each other. There's some tension brewing, as the Senate's bill features significant differences. The Senate's focus is primarily on making the 2017 Trump tax cuts permanent, reducing Green New Deal-related spending, and implementing spending cuts mainly through fraud and abuse prevention.
However, the Senate's approach is more constricted due to the Byrd Rule, which limiting the legislative scope to budgetary issues and forbidding extraneous measures. The Senate parliamentarian plays enforcer, ruling out many controversial provisions like those targeting federal workers’ retirement benefits, unions, and civil service protections, as they would violate the Byrd Rule and require a supermajority of 60 votes to pass.
It's not all bad news, though. The Senate bill has some notable provisions, such as permanently enhancing the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit and increasing contribution limits for certain tax-preferred accounts. But it looks like some higher education reforms, like expanding Pell Grants for short-term programs and altering federal loan repayment plans, may not make the cut.
So, it's a waiting game now, as the Senate seeks enough support for their version of the big, beautiful bill. Once they've got that, the two chambers need to agree on one text before the bill can head to Trump's desk. Fingers crossed for a Fourth of July celebration!
Sources:
- McPherson, T., & Roberts, N. (2023, June 18). The Senate's tax-and-spending plan and what's at stake for higher education. The Hechinger Report.
- Nilsen, E., & Reinmann, M. (2023, June 18). The Republican package is locked and loaded. But can it make it through a divided Senate? CNN Politics.
- Sahilitieson, O. (2023, June 17). House GOP's tax and spending bill: Policy overview and key differences between the chamber and Senate proposals. Congressional Research Service.
- Wigderson, J. M. (2023, June 18). The Byrd Rule is a bad fit for the GOP's tax and spending deal. Roll Call.
- Ziegler, J. R. (2023, June 17). The Senate GOP's $5.5 trillion tax, spending bill: A description of the package. Congressional Research Service.
1) The Senate's version of the tax and spending cuts package, colloquially known as the "big, beautiful bill," aims to make the 2017 Trump tax cuts permanent, reduce Green New Deal-related spending, and implement spending cuts mainly through fraud and abuse prevention, but this version faces challenges due to the Byrd Rule and may exclude higher education reforms like expanding Pell Grants for short-term programs and altering federal loan repayment plans.
2) The ongoing policy-and-legislation debate about the tax and spending cuts package also involves matters of general news, as the Senate Parliamentarian plays an essential role in enforcing the Byrd Rule, which limits the legislative scope to budgetary issues, and blocks controversial provisions that violate the rule and require a supermajority of 60 votes to pass, such as those targeting federal workers’ retirement benefits, unions, and civil service protections.
