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Which Republicans Voted Against The Tax Bill

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Here Are The 17 Republican Senators Who Voted To Advance The $1 Trillion Infrastructure Bill

Washington When the Senate voted Wednesday to open debate on a roughly $1 trillion infrastructure package, more than a dozen Republicans sided with Democrats to advance the legislation.

proposal,

  • Roy Blunt of Missouri
  • Richard Burr of North Carolina
  • Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia
  • Bill Cassidy of Louisiana
  • Kevin Cramer of North Dakota
  • Mike Crapo of Idaho
  • Lindsey Graham of South Carolina
  • Chuck Grassley of Iowa
  • John Hoeven of North Dakota
  • Mitch McConnell of Kentucky
  • Thom Tillis of North Carolina
  • Todd Young of Indiana

Reminder: Zero Republicans Voted For The Middle Class Tax Cut Parents Are Calling A Blessing


July 14, 2021

No thanks to a single Republican, millions of middle-class families will start receiving a major tax cut tomorrow as part of the Child Tax Credit expanded in President Biden and Democrats’  American Rescue Plan. Monthly tax cuts of $250 or $300 per child will automatically hit bank accounts and will be used to pay bills, put food on the table, and alleviate stress for working and middle-class families across the country. 

From Durham to Des Moines, here’s what parents are saying about Democrats’ new middle-class tax cuts:

“It’s a blessing. That’s all I can say. I just can’t put it in any other words. It’s a blessing. It’s really going to help,” said Edwina Barbee in North Carolina.

“This is really exciting and it will help our family a lot, and I’m really hopeful that it will help a lot of families,” Kayla Midthun said in Wisconsin.

“It’s really just an opportunity to take that burden off of us a little bit each month to help support our kids for the future,” Jason Burkhiser Reynolds said in Iowa.

Here’s a look at what else families had to say this week:

Here Are The 17 Republicans Who Sided With Dems And Voted For Debate On Infrastructure Bill

From NBC:


The 17 Republicans who joined all 50 Democrats were: Portman; McConnell; Roy Blunt, of Missouri; Richard Burr, of North Carolina; Shelly Moore Capito, of West Virginia; Bill Cassidy, of Louisiana; Susan Collins, of Maine; Kevin Cramer, of North Dakota; Mike Crapo, of Idaho; Lindsey Graham, of South Carolina; Chuck Grassley, of Iowa; John Hoeven, of North Dakota; Lisa Murkowski, of Alaska; James Risch, of Idaho; Mitt Romney, of Utah; Thom Tillis, of North Carolina; and Todd Young, of Indiana

Trump issued a warning about this infrastructure deal.

No Republican Voted In Favor Of Law Sending Extra Federal Child Tax Payments To Families

Other Voices

The federal child care tax credit payment checks going out to families this week are courtesy of the congressional Democrats, only. Every single Republican voted against you, the American families receiving your check. If you needed this check, bought goods or services with your check, remember who made it possible. Please tell everyone you know that every Republican who voted on this law voted against them, to deny them help. And while you are at it, if you are not already, register to vote. Your voice will be needed in 2021.

Christine M. Treu,


Solon

Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission.

Senate Republicans Decided Bipartisanship Was In Their Interest This One Time

IN Focus: Sen. Donnelly explains vote against GOP tax bill ...

While infrastructure is proving to be an area where Senate Republicans are willing to break with Trump, it’s too early to say whether this is the start of a trend.


For one, some of the 18 Republican senators who voted to close debate on the infrastructure bill may still end up ultimately voting against it. But ultimately the votes are expected to be there for the bill’s passage, meaning that in this case Republican senators seem to have calculated that doing something for their constituents and demonstrating that the Senate isn’t totally broken is worth the tradeoff of handing Biden a major bipartisan win.

That doesn’t mean that it’ll be smooth sailing for Biden’s legislative agenda heading forward, however. McConnell, after all, said in May that “one hundred percent of my focus is standing up to this administration,” and with Republicans entrenched against any sort of voting rights legislation, it’s unclear what major policy areas if any could be ripe for bipartisan agreement after infrastructure.

The vast majority of Republicans are opposed to the legislation. House Republicans are as tightly bound to Mr. Trump as ever, with many continuing to support his election lies and conspiracy theories about the Jan. 6 attack at the Capitol. And with the approach of the 2022 elections, members of his party will have less and less room to maneuver away from a figure whom their base still reveres.

December 14 2017: Rubio Says He Will Not Vote For Latest Version Of Tax Bill

On December 14, 2017, Sen. Marco Rubio told reporters that he would not vote for the tax bill unless the child tax credit was increased. “Right now it’s only $1,100. It needs to be higher than that,” Rubio said. “I understand that this is a process of give and take, especially when there’s only a couple of us fighting for it,” he told reporters. “Given all the other changes they’ve made in the tax code leading into it, I can’t in good conscience support it unless we are able to increase the refundable portion of it.”


Senate Democrats Said The Bill Hurts The Poor; Republicans Say Its A Mirage

Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, the ranking Democrat on the Finance Committee, called the joint committee analysis “astounding” and warned that middle-class taxpayers would get “clobbered” under the latest Republican plan.

“When you’re reaching for the cranberry sauce, Republicans are going be reaching for your pocketbooks to give handouts to multinational corporations,” Mr. Wyden said.

Senator Orrin G. Hatch, Republican of Utah and the chairman of the Finance Committee, said that the appearance of a tax increase was a mirage that is the result of arcane scoring rules. Because people will no longer have to purchase health insurance, they may no longer receive tax credit subsidies for insurance that they do not purchase.

“Without those credits, they see an overall uptick in their tax liability,” Mr. Hatch said.


The debate then devolved into an argument over what really counts as an increase and the murkiness of government scorekeeping, which Senator Patrick J. Toomey, Republican of Pennsylvania, called “ridiculous.”

Uninterested in letting go of numbers that supported his argument that the Republican tax plan is bad for the middle class, Mr. Wyden dismissed Mr. Toomey’s concerns.

“I’ve never heard a senator try to psychoanalyze a Joint Committee on Taxation table,” he said.

September 28 2018: House Passes Tax Package To Extend Individual Tax Cuts


On September 28, 2018, the House passed legislation that proposed making the individual and small business tax cuts in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act permanent by a vote of 220-191. Under the law, the cuts were set to expire in 2025. The three-bill tax package, introduced by House GOP leadership as Tax Reform 2.0, also proposed making changes to taxes on retirement savings, education savings, and on start-up costs for new businesses. A breakdown of the bills appears below.

HR 6760—the Protecting Family and Small Business Tax Cuts Act of 2018—proposed the following:

  • Making permanent the lower individual tax rates of 10, 12, 22, 24, 32, 35, and 37 percent;
  • Making permanent the standard deduction of $12,000 per individual and $24,000 for a married couple;
  • Making permanent the child tax credit of $2,000 per child;
  • Making permanent the $10,000 cap on state and local tax deductions; and
  • Making permanent the 20 percent rate deduction for pass-through businesses, among other things.

HR 6760 passed the House on September 28, 2018, by a vote of 220-191. Two hundred and seventeen Republicans and three Democrats—Reps. Conor Lamb , Jacky Rosen , and Kyrsten Sinema —voted for the bill. One hundred and eighty-one Democrats and 10 Republicans, all from New York, New Jersey, and California, voted against the bill “because they did not want to cement the 2017 tax law’s $10,000 cap on the state and local tax deduction,” according to The Hill.

Biden Says In First News Conference That He Was Hired To ‘solve Problems’


Micah Bock, a spokesperson for Cawthorn, said that Cawthorn “firmly believes that the American Rescue Plan does more harm than good” and that Cawthorn “uses his official Twitter account to post information relevant to his constituents in NC-11.”

“Oftentimes this means providing relevant federal information on proposals that the congressman does not support,” Bock said in a statement. “There are portions of the American Rescue Plan that benefit NC-11, however, bills are not passed in portions, they are passed entirely or not at all, and this bill does significantly more harm than good.”

Cawthorn’s posts followed similar tweets and statements from other elected Republicans, such as Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, who drew attention weeks ago when he praised the part of the stimulus package that provided billions of dollars to restaurateurs.

“Independent restaurant operators have won $28.6 billion worth of targeted relief,” he tweeted. “This funding will ensure small businesses can survive the pandemic by helping to adapt their operations and keep their employees on the payroll.”

Speaking to reporters later, Wicker said his praise wasn’t an inconsistent position. The funding was the result of an amendment to the legislation that he and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., proposed.


“One good provision in a $1.9 trillion bill doesn’t mean I have to vote for the whole thing,” he said.

Huffpost: Republicans Have No Clear Message On Child Tax Credit Payments

From the Speaker’s Press Office

From the people who brought you…

and…

…comes a new House Republican failure to explain why they unanimously voted to block a tax cut for middle class families.

The Child Tax Credit is incredibly popular, effective, and was opposed by every single House Republican.  We wish them luck in explaining this one.

Key points from HuffPost look at the Republicans’ scramble to explain why they voted against President Biden and Congressional Democrats’ Child Tax Credit. 

Republicans Have No Clear Message On Child Tax Credit Payments

  • As Democrats celebrate parents across the country receiving their first checks through the child tax credit, Republicans aren’t quite sure how to respond.
  • Several Senate Republicans told HuffPost they didn’t have strong feelings about the policy, which was a significant part of Democrats’ American Rescue Plan. 
  • “I’m gonna surprise you ? I don’t really have an opinion on that right now,” Sen. John Cornyn said. 
  • Last week, tens of millions of American households received payments of up to $300 per child, which they will continue to get each month through the end of the year. Democrats intend to expand the program in their next big legislative package, and they have been bragging about it in a series of press conferences. 
  • Initial polling has shown the advance child tax credit is incredibly popular among Democrats and Independent voters, and even wins support amongst a strong contingent of Republican voters.

There Has Been Movement On Some Parts Of The Bill What Have Those Been

Some contentious parts of the bill have been negotiated, or struck by the Senate parliamentarian.

The Senate official ruled a federal minimum wage increase the House passed early Saturday morning cannot be included in the relief bill.

More:Democrats left scrambling on a $15 minimum wage now that it appears left out of COVID-19 stimulus bill

Two infrastructure projects derided by Senate Republicans were also dropped from the COVID-19 relief bill on Tuesday, following deliberations with a key Senate official, according to a spokesperson for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. 

Pelosi spokesperson Drew Hammill said the bill’s funding for an expansion of the BART, a subway system serving the San Francisco Bay Area, was struck from the bill because it was “part of a pilot project.” And $1.5 million in funding for a bridge between part of upstate New York and Canada was also scrapped.

More:San Francisco transit money, NY bridge scrapped from COVID-19 bill amid GOP complaints

Additionally, Senate Democrats reached a deal with Biden to limit the eligibility for $1,400 checks in his COVID-19 relief bill, phasing the payments out for Americans earning more than $80,000, according to two sources familiar with the deliberations not authorized to speak on the record. 

The tweak is a goal of moderates who did not want the checks to go to wealthier Americans.

Contributing: Nicholas Wu, Ledge King, Christal Hayes, Joey Garrison, Jeanine Santucci

December 15 2017: Gop Expands Child Tax Credit; Earns Rubio’s Support

On December 15, 2017, the GOP expanded the refundable part of the child tax credit from $1,100 to $1,400 of the $2,000-per-child credit to earn the support of Sen. Marco Rubio , according to Rep. Kristi Noem , a member of the House-Senate negotiating committee. Sen. Mike Lee also lobbied for the expanded child tax credit . According to The Wall Street Journal, “Lawmakers offset the change by reversing a decision to allow the child tax credit for 17-year-olds. The final bill, like current law, would make it available only for children under age 17.”

After the announcement, Rubio said that he would support the tax bill. He wrote on Twitter, “For far too long, Washington has ignored and left behind the American working class. Increasing the refundability of the Child Tax Credit from 55% to 70% is a solid step toward broader reforms which are both Pro-Growth and Pro-Worker. But there is still much more to do in the months and years to come. The progress made on the Child Tax Credit would not have been possible without the support of @SenMikeLee, @SenatorTimScott, and @IvankaTrump.”

Paul Ryan: ‘don’t Forget This Is A Big Tax Cut For Families As Well’

Which Republicans Voted Against This Tax Bill? These Guys ...

A day earlier, speaking on the House floor moments before the vote, Ryan said the legislation will “help hard-working Americans who have been left behind for too long.”

“Today, we are giving the people their money back,” he said, adding that a typical family would get a $2,059 tax cut next year.

Democrats opposed bill as a boon to the wealthy while offering little for the middle class, with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., calling it “the worst bill to ever come to the floor of the House.”

There were a number of protesters in Congress on Tuesday, on both the House and Senate sides. Protesters interrupted the Senate’s final late night vote numerous times, at one point shouting, “Kill the bill. Don’t kill us.” One protester interrupted Ryan in the House when he was speaking.

The GOP bill lowers individual tax rates, including the top bracket to 37 percent from 39.6, while doubling the standard deduction and replacing personal exemptions with a $2,000 partly refundable child tax credit. It eliminates various deductions while limiting others on state and local taxes and mortgage interest. It also exempts larger inheritances from the estate tax, doubling the thresholds to $11 million for individuals and $22 million for married couples.

Congratulations to Paul Ryan, Kevin McCarthy, Kevin Brady, Steve Scalise, Cathy McMorris Rodgers and all great House Republicans who voted in favor of cutting your taxes!

— Donald J. Trump December 19, 2017

And Democrats Called The Bill A Horror Show And A Missed Opportunity

“This is a horror show today,” Representative John Yarmuth of Kentucky, the top Democrat on the House Budget Committee. “This is a horror show debate. This is a horror show process. But it’s a disaster for the American people. The bill we are debating today will abandon millions of American families.”

“This is a historic moment, but most importantly it’s a missed opportunity,” said Representative Richard Neal of Massachusetts, the top Democrat on the Ways and Means Committee. “What we’re being asked to do here today is to raise taxes on 36 million middle-class Americans.”

Another Democrat, Representative Joseph Crowley of New York, began shouting from the lectern about the drawbacks of the bill.

“Republicans and President Trump are doling out tax breaks for companies to move overseas but will take away benefits to hire American veterans right here at home.”

“On behalf of hard working Americans throughout this country I say vote no on H.R. 1. Vote no on H.R. 1 percent.”

Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, the Democratic leader, said the package being voted on was not tax reform but “a tax scam.”

“With straight faces and with the speed of light — I have to give them credit — they raced this thing through in the dark of night. They’re trying to sell a bill of goods to the middle class that this is in their interest, that this is a middle income tax cut,” she said, adding that “Republicans are raising taxes on 36 million middle-class families.”

Republicans Pass Historic Tax Cuts Without A Single Democratic Vote

Axios

Vice President Mike Pence walks through the Capitol to the House Chamber to watch the passage of the Republican tax bill. Photo: J. Scott Applewhite / AP

For history … 12:47 a.m.: “WASHINGTON — Senate passes 1st major rewrite of US tax code in 31 years, setting stage for final House vote on Wednesday.”

Being there, per AP: “he Senate narrowly passed the legislation on a party-line 51-48 vote. Protesters interrupted with chants of ‘kill the bill, don’t kill us’ and Vice President Mike Pence repeatedly called for order. Upon passage, Republicans cheered, with Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin among them.”

  • Just before 2:30 p.m., the House had passed the bill 227-203. But three provisions “violated Senate rules, forcing the Senate to vote to strip them out. So the massive bill was hauled back across the Capitol for the House to vote again , and Republicans have a chance to celebrate again.”
  • Senate: “Voting yes were 0 Democrats and 51 Republicans. Voting no were 46 Democrats, 0 Republicans and 2 independents.”
  • House:“Voting yes were 0 Democrats and 227 Republicans. Voting no were 191 Democrats and 12 Republicans. … There are 3 vacancies.”
  • House Majority Whip Steve Scalise says House Appropriations Chair Rodney Frelinghuysen should retain his position even though he voted against the GOP tax overhaul.

These Are The 12 House Republicans Who Voted Against The Tax Bill

Congressional Republicans’ support for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was overwhelming—but not universal.

The tax reform bill easily passed the House of Representatives Tuesday, with 227 members of Congress voting for it and 203 voting against. The Senate is expected to vote on the bill late Tuesday before sending it to President Donald Trump’s desk.

The vote was almost entirely divided along party lines; no Democrats voted for the bill, and only twelve Republicans voted against it. Those Republicans are:

  • Rep. Dan Donovan, 11th District of New York

  • Rep. John Faso, 19th District of New York

  • Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, 11th District of New Jersey

  • Rep. Darrell Issa, 49th District of California

  • Rep. Walter Jones, 3rd District of North Carolina

  • Rep. Peter King, 2nd District of New York

  • Rep. Leonard Lance, 7th District of New Jersey

  • Rep. Frank LoBiondo, 2nd District of New Jersey

  • Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, 48th District of California

  • Rep. Chris Smith, 4th District of New Jersey

  • Rep. Elise Stefanik, 21st District of New York

  • Rep. Lee Zeldin, 1st District of New York

Donovan said in a statement that he was unable to support the bill because it capped the state and local tax deductions at $10,000. He said he had been fighting “tooth and nail” to protect the deduction, along with fellow GOP members of the New York congressional delegation, Faso, King, Stefanik and Zeldin.

September 12 2018: Rettig Confirmed By Senate As Irs Commissioner

On September 12, 2018, the Senate voted 64-33 to approve the nomination of Charles Rettig as Internal Revenue Service commissioner. All Republicans present voted with 15 Democrats to in favor of Rettig’s nomination. “Democrats had few objections to Mr. Rettig himself. They used the debate over his nomination to highlight concerns with the 2017 tax law and with an IRS decision to let some nonprofit groups involved in politics submit less information about their donors,” according to The Wall Street Journal.

December 19 2017: House Passes Conference Version Of Tax Bill

Tax Cuts and Jobs Act

 Bill Passed on December 19, 2017
Proposed providing for reconciliation pursuant to titles II and V of the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2018.

On December 19, 2017, the House passed the conference version of HR 1—the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act—by a vote of 227-203. Two hundred and twenty-seven Republicans and no Democrats voted in favor of the bill. One hundred and ninety-one Democrats and 12 Republicans voted against the bill. Two Democrats—Mark Pocan and Joseph Kennedy —did not vote.

Following the vote, President Donald Trump tweeted, “Congratulations to Paul Ryan, Kevin McCarthy, Kevin Brady, Steve Scalise, Cathy McMorris Rodgers and all great House Republicans who voted in favor of cutting your taxes!”

House Speaker Paul Ryan said to reporters, “This is one of the most important pieces of legislation that Congress has passed in decades to help the American worker, to help grow the American economy. This is profound change, and this is change that is going to put our country on the right path.”

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi tweeted, “There are few things more disturbing than hearing the swell of cheers from the @HouseGOP as they raise taxes on 86 million middle class families.”

The following 12 Republicans voted against the bill.

Here Are The 12 House Republicans Who Voted Against Tax Cuts

  • 4shares

The GOP tax reform bill known as the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act,” came one important step closer to becoming law on Tuesday when the bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 227 to 203.

No Democrats voted for the bill, of course. The party of big, centralized government isn’t for anyone keep more of their own money, other than perhaps illegal aliens and welfare recipients, and will never vote to cut anybody’s taxes.

But not all Republicans voted for the bill either. Here are the 12 Republicans — all from high tax states — who joined Democrats in voting against passage:

  • Dana Rohrabacher of California
  • Walter B. Jones of North Carolina
  • Frank A. LoBiondo of New Jersey
  • Christopher H. Smith of New Jersey
  • Leonard Lance of New Jersey
  • Rodney Frelinghuysen of New Jersey
  • Lee Zeldin of New York
  • Peter King of New York
  • Dan Donovan of New York
  • John J. Faso of New York
  • Elise Stefanik of New York

For years, conservatively-managed states have been in essence subsidizing high tax states because taxpayers from those “blue” states have been able to deduct those high state taxes from their federal income tax returns.

That is not a problem for the federal government. It is a problem of those states and the voters who enable the thievery. Let them know turn to their respective state governments and demand that their taxes be slashed.

The GOP tax bill will now be voted on by the Senate tonight, where it is expected to pass by a razor-thin margin.

  • 4shares

The 13 House Republicans Who Voted Against The Gop Tax Plan

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The House vote on the GOP plan to overhaul the tax code Thursday was notable for the relatively few Republicans who voted against it.

Only 13 Republicans joined with Democrats in opposing the measure, which gave GOP leaders a comfortable margin to pass their bill. Republicans could afford 23 defections with all but two members voting on Thursday.

GOP lawmakers have long wanted to cut taxes, and they face substantial pressure to secure a major legislative win before next year’s midterm elections.

Of the Republicans who voted against the bill, all but Rep. Walter JonesWalter JonesHillary Clinton brings up ‘Freedom Fries’ to mock ‘cancel culture’Georgia officials open inquiry into Trump efforts to overturn election resultsSupreme Court declines to hear case challenging unlimited super PAC fundraisingMORE were from high-taxed states such as New York, New Jersey and California. These states would be particularly hard hit by the bill’s treatment of the state and local tax deduction.

The 13 GOP defectors were Jones and New York Reps. Dan Donovan, John FasoThomas Milller McClintockHillicon Valley: House advances six bills targeting Big Tech after overnight slugfest | Google to delay cookie phase out until 2023 | Appeals court rules against Baltimore Police Department aerial surveillance programCalifornia Democrats clash over tech antitrust fightTech antitrust bills create strange bedfellows in House markupMORE and Dana Rohrabacher.

writing

Infrastructure Bill Fails First Vote; Senate To Try Again

Students Might Bear Burden Under New GOP Tax Bill ...

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and other GOP senators speak to reporters ahead of a test vote scheduled by Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York on the bipartisan infrastructure deal senators brokered with President Joe Biden, in Washington, Wednesday, July 21, 2021. Republicans are prepared to block the vote over what they see as a rushed and misguided process.

WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans rejected an effort Wednesday to begin debate on the big infrastructure deal that a bipartisan group of senators brokered with President Joe Biden, but pressure was mounting as supporters insisted they just needed more time before another vote possibly next week.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., had scheduled the procedural vote to nudge along negotiations that have dragged for weeks. But Republicans mounted a filibuster, saying the bipartisan group still had a few unresolved issues and needed to review the final details. They sought a delay until Monday.

“We have made significant progress and are close to a final agreement,” the bipartisan group of senators, 11 Republicans and 11 Democrats, said in a joint statement after the vote. The senators said they were optimistic they could finish up “in the coming days.”

At another point, Biden was asked by a union electrician if it was possible to bring Congress together to pass an infrastructure bill that would help the region replace the bridge.

“Big numbers are involved,” Romney said.

___

See How Every Member Of The House Voted On The Tax Plan

Every Democrat who voted opposed the bill, but so did 13 Republicans, many of whom represent districts in high-tax states that could be particularly hurt by the repeal of the state and local income tax deduction. See a list of the votes »

Representatives voted along party lines, with the exception of 13 Republicans, many of whom fought to keep the deduction for state and local taxes.

Republicans Promote Pandemic Relief They Voted Against

NEW YORK — Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., said it pained her to vote against the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan.

But in the weeks that followed, the first-term Republican issued a news release celebrating more than $3.7 million from the package that went to community health centers in her district as one of her “achievements.” She said she prided herself on “bringing federal funding to the district and back into the pockets of taxpayers.”

Malliotakis is far from alone.

Every Republican in Congress voted against the sweeping pandemic relief bill that President Joe Biden three months ago. But since the early spring votes, Republicans from New York and Indiana to Texas and Washington state have promoted elements of the legislation they fought to defeat.

The Republicans’ favorite provisions represent a tiny sliver of the massive law, which sent $1,400 checks to millions of Americans, extended unemployment benefits until September, increased the child tax credit, offered housing assistance for millions of low-income Americans and expanded health care coverage. Republicans tried to negotiate a smaller package, arguing that Biden’s plan was too expensive and not focused enough on the nation’s health and economic crises.

Politics

Wicker’s office noted that he voted against the full package, but led efforts to ensure the restaurant relief was included.

The politics of the Republican position are complicated.

$15 Trillion Tax Cut Passed By House In Mostly Party

  • Nov. 16, 2017

• The House passed its version of the $1.5 trillion tax bill by a vote of 227 to 205. Read more »

• Thirteen Republicans voted against the bill, and no Democrats voted for it.

• A new analysis from Congress’s bipartisan tax referee shows that under the Senate’s version of the bill, lower-income Americans would see their taxes go up in 2021.

• The analysis roiled the Senate Finance Committee, which is debating the bill ahead of a vote that could happen as soon as Thursday night.

• Before the House vote, President Trump visited Capitol Hill to rally the Republican lawmakers behind the legislation.

Trump: Tax Bill Passage ‘an Amazing Experience’

The Republican bill was initially approved on a 227-203 vote in the House Tuesday, with no Democrats supporting it. Twelve Republicans also voted against the measure.

With Vice President Mike Pence presiding and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin on hand, the Senate then voted 51-48 in favor of the bill. Again, with no Democratic support.

“After eight straight years of slow growth and underperformance, America is ready to take off,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said following the vote.

The bill, the product of negotiations between Republicans in the House and Senate, achieves longtime Republican goals, including a permanent reduction in the corporate tax rate to 21 percent from 35 percent that supporters argue will make American business more competitive overseas.

Many pass-through businesses also receive a more complicated 20 percent deduction, which became a subject of fierce debate after the final bill added a provision likely to benefit real estate companies like Trump’s.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., lauded the bill during an interview with NBC’s “Today” on Wednesday morning, reiterating the GOP’s claim that cutting the corporate tax rate would allow American companies to create new jobs with the savings and rejecting criticism that companies would merely pocket the savings.

“It’s not a question of if, it’s a question of how much they benefit,” he said.

“This is a big tax cut for families as well,” he said.


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