Senate Republicans pass budget that will add $1.5 trillion to deficit, slash Medicare

Senate Republicans pass budget that will add $1.5 trillion to deficit, slash Medicare and Medicaid

• By MARIAM KHAN

Oct 20, 2017, 11:27 AM ET

J. Scott Applewhite/AP

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Senate Republicans passed a budget late Thursday night, setting the stage for the GOP's ultimate goal of tackling tax reform later this year.

The measure is estimated to add $1.5 trillion to the deficit over the next 10 years, and contains about $4 trillion in spending cuts.

“We have a once in a lifetime opportunity to replace America’s failing tax codes,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on the Senate floor after the bill was approved.

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The Senate’s plan passed along party lines, with 51 Republicans voting in favor of the bill, and all Democrats voting against it.

“This nasty and backwards budget greenlights cuts to Medicare and Medicaid in order to give a tax break to big corporations and the wealthiest Americans,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said.

The 51-49 vote sets the stage for debate later this year to dramatically overhaul the U.S. tax code for the first time in three decades.

Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky was the lone Republican senator who opposed the measure.

“I could not in good conscience vote for a budget that ignores spending caps that have been the law of the land for years and simply pretend it didn’t matter,” Paul said in a statement.

Following the budget's passage, the White House released the following statement: "President Donald J. Trump applauds the Senate for passing its FY 2018 Budget Resolution today and taking an important step in advancing the Administration’s pro-growth and pro-jobs legislative agenda. This resolution creates a pathway to unleash the potential of the American economy through tax reform and tax cuts, simplifying the over complicated tax code, providing financial relief for families across the country, and making American businesses globally competitive. President Trump looks forward to final enactment of the Fiscal Year 2018 budget resolution so we can bring jobs back to our country."

And White House press secretary Sarah Sanders tweeted a photo of President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump at a gala dinner benefiting the UNHCR at the Kuwaiti embassy at which the first lady was honored. "Great night honoring @FLOTUS & perfect ending w/ @POTUS announcing passage of budget—major step forward for tax cuts," Sanders tweeted.

Great night honoring @FLOTUS & perfect ending w/ @POTUS announcing passage of budget—major step forward for tax cuts pic.twitter.com/3icggLPvNf
— Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) October 20, 2017

The resolution is a nonbinding budget framework, and is a legislative vehicle that will allow Republicans to pass a tax plan under the rules of reconciliation. This means the GOP tax bill could pass without a single Democratic vote. It also avoids a filibuster attempt by Democrats.

Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., a member of the Budget Committee, told reporters Thursday afternoon, "This is the biggest hoax hatched upon the American people ever, that this budget process even exists. The only thing about this that matters is preparation for tax reform."

The Senate opted to fast-track the bill by adopting an amendment that aligned its budget to some technical aspects in the House's version of the bill, which was approved in the House chamber last week.

The move to align the two plans is intended to help speed up the process in getting final passage from both chambers of Congress, by potentially foregoing a conference committee that would work out the differences in both plans.

Speaking to CBS on Friday, House Speaker Paul Ryan affirmed that middle class families would see significant tax cuts.

"When we get the numbers, which are going to be finalized in matter of days, then we can put the whole bill out," Ryan said. "If this was a tax increase on middle-income taxpayers, we wouldn't be doing this.

This is about lowering people’s taxes in the middle-class, simplifying the tax system and growing this economy."

Before the Senate passed its bill Thursday night, lawmakers agreed to a bipartisan amendment that called the entire budget voting process "utter nonsense."

Schumer said it would go down “as one of the worst budgets Congress has ever passed” in the nation’s history.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/senate-republicans-pass-budget-15-trillion-deficit-step/story?id=50600109

Good!!!! Trump Train rollin' rollin' rollin' to Make America Great Again and raise the standard of living of all of our citizens for the first time in over 40 years.

GO TRUMP GO!!!!

“This nasty and backwards budget greenlights cuts to Medicare and Medicaid in order to give a tax break to big corporations and the wealthiest Americans,”

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Originally Posted by JohnDoe2

“This nasty and backwards budget greenlights cuts to Medicare and Medicaid in order to give a tax break to big corporations and the wealthiest Americans,”

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I have no problem with cuts to Medicaid and no problem with some cuts to Medicare such as SSI and some Disability Programs that are wasting funds on frauds. The rules need to be much stricter for these programs so non-disabled people do not end up drawing these benefits for years when they should be in the work force.

October 19, 2017
by Common Dreams

51 GOP Senators Just Voted To Cut $1.5 Trillion from Medicare and Medicaid To Give Super-Rich and Corporations a Tax Cut

The Republican budget, declared Sen. Sanders after its passage, "is not a bad bill. It's a horrific bill."

by Jon Queally, staff writer
68 Comments

https://www.commondreams.org/sites/d...?itok=oLMd8tg8
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, center, with fellow Republican leadership on Capitol Hill. (Photo: Reuters/Gary Cameron)

Along strict party lines, the Republican-controlled Senate on Thursday night voted to pass a sweeping budget measure—one criticized as both "despicable" and "horrific" for providing massive giveaways to corporations and the super-rich while eviscerating funding for social programs, healthcare, education, and affordable housing.

"Another dark deed done: GOP passes obscene budget to slash Medicare/Medicaid & explode the deficit – all in the name of tax cuts for the 1%."
—Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon)

The measure passed by 51-49 vote, with only one Republican, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, joining every Democrat and the chamber's two Independents who voted against it. Its approval now paves that way for massive tax giveaways to the wealthy and corporations envisioned by President Donald Trump and the GOP in both the House and the Senate.

"51 Republican Senators just voted to cut Medicaid by $1 trillion and Medicare by $500 billion so that millionaires and corporations can get a tax cut. It's immoral and despicable," said TJ Helmstetter, a spokesperson for Americans for Tax Fairness, in a statement immediately following the vote.

Though the budget resolution itself is nonbinding, MoveOn.org's Ben Wikler notes how the Senate passage on Thursday represents the "starting gun for what might be the most consequential legislative fight of the Trump era: the looting of the U.S. treasury to reward billionaire GOP donors and mega-corporations, at the expense of the rest of us." And with the Senate resolution now in place, a reconciliation process can begin with Republicans in the House, meaning the GOP can "shoot for a tax bill without a single Democratic vote."

In the wake of its passage, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)—who earlier this week called the proposal "Robin Hood in reverse" for taking from the poor to give to the rich— said the "Republicans' budget is not a bad bill. It's a horrific bill."

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/10/19/51-gop-senators-just-voted-cut-15-trillion-medicare-and-medicaid-give-super-rich-and

Yep, that's great. This Medicaid program is off the charts, out of control, as is SSI and Disability funded by Medicare funds.

Go after disability fraud too!

Go after welfare and food stamp fraud...end breed and feed programs. Go get a vasectomy or tubal ligation or pay for your own sex and your children.

Get ALL refugees, illegal aliens and asylum liars OFF our Medicaid and OFF our healthcare!

GUT IT

Unfortunately, it will be low income American citizens & seniors' benefits cut to the bone. Do you really think they will cut off anchor babies that are what @ 15million now and growing everyday. Their healthcare and food stamps will not be touched. The PRE NATAL, BIRTHING, HEALTHCARE, SCHOOLING, DENTAL WILL STILL BE PAID FOR BY AMERICAN CITIZENS. Wait and see.

Guarantee you that parents of foreign born will continue to receive medicare & SSI though never paying into the system. Refugees also will continue to receive. What they will bring them here w/o supplying monies, healthcare etc? Not happening.

A senior American citizen can't get a MD to take medicare now w/o extreme supplemental insurance coverage. Why even require low income seniors to pay $140 a month for only 80% coverage. Mostly all supplemental plans have co pays and outrageous hospital costs.

Everything is FREE FOR ILLEGALS, ANCHOR BABIES, REFUGEES, OVER 65 PARENTS OF FOREIGNERS and do not see that changing - so American seniors, disabled, hopelessly addicted persons due to massive drug cartel business & unscrupulous drug companies traveling to MD's office to sign people up for highly addictive drugs, will be the ones cut.

Make the drug companies pay for addiction problems, counseling and kick all illegals out of our country as we were promised; they all contribute to the underground cartel drug system with billions in profits $$$$$. Let the confiscations $$$$$ contribute to the healthcare system OF AMERICAN CITIZENS impacted by their scourge.

Congress must pass the HR 140 that ends anchor baby citizenship. It's even more important now that we see Jeff Sessions promoting anchor baby breeding factories in illegal alien detention centers. Disgusting!!! I guess Stephen Miller was behind Jeff Sessions rise in our movement, now without him, he can't make a correct call on his own. Shame.

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Originally Posted by Judy

Congress must pass the HR 140 that ends anchor baby citizenship. It's even more important now that we see Jeff Sessions promoting anchor baby breeding factories in illegal alien detention centers. Disgusting!!! I guess Stephen Miller was behind Jeff Sessions rise in our movement, now without him, he can't make a correct call on his own. Shame.

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Your lies, obfuscations, misdirection disgust me. Yes, I'm calling you out on your attacks directed at one of the best friends our cause has ever had. Sessions isn't promoting anchor baby breeding factories as you suggest. However, you are supporting the rewarding and giving of benefits to illegal aliens when you promote your false narrative that we must give illegals rewards and benefits such as abortions on demand.

As for Jeff Sessions and Steve Miller, you have your facts a little backwards. Sessions always stood strongly against illegal immigration, excessive immigration, weak border security, illegal alien amnesty, and for strong enforcement of our immigration laws. He was doing this before Stephen Miller even became a fixture on the scene. Actually, much of what Stephen Miller is today is because of Jeff Sessions.

You should be personally ashamed for attacking one of the best friends we've ever had! This is ALIPAC, not some pro-abortion organization or ACLU website that would welcome your attacks on someone like Jeff Sessions.

Why aren't you attacking President Donald Trump on the pro-abortion issue? He has publicly stated he is pro-life. A little hypocritical that you would direct your attacks on Sessions simply because he doesn't think we should reward and illegal with an abortion on demand.

No rewards or benefits for illegal immigrants!