Democrats accuse GOP of nuking Senate rules to pass Trump megabill
Share this @internewscast.com

Senate Democrats on Sunday accused Republicans of “going nuclear” to dismantle Senate rules in order to make President Trump’s 2017 tax cuts permanent.

The intense exchange on the Senate floor occurred as Democrats posed several parliamentary inquiries to the Senate’s presiding chair to prepare a challenge against Budget Committee Chair Lindsey Graham’s (R-S.C.) use of a “current policy” budget baseline. This method scores the extension of the 2017 tax cuts as not increasing the deficit.

“This is the nuclear option. It’s just hidden behind a whole lot of Washington, D.C., lingo,” Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, stated on the Senate floor.

Republicans pushed back on that claim.

Graham argued that Democrats have previously used current-policy baselines to score bills. He pointed to former Senate Budget Committee Chair Kent Conrad’s (D-N.D.) use of a current-policy baseline to pass a farm bill.

Democrats, however, say that was done on a bipartisan basis and not for something as monumental as extending trillions of dollars’ worth of tax breaks.

Senate Finance Committee Chair Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) pointed out that former President Obama’s budget office in 2012 argued that the extension of the expiring Bush tax cuts should be scored as a continuation of current policy and as not adding to the deficit.

Democrats say that Congress has never before used a current-policy baseline to score tax cuts in a budget reconciliation package as not adding to future deficits.

They are pushing for the bill to be scored on a “current law” baseline.

Under current law, the 2017 Trump tax cuts would expire at the end of 2025.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) scores the extension of Trump tax cuts as adding to the deficit under a current-law baseline.

But under a current-policy baseline, which Republicans are using for the bill, the CBO scores the extension of the Trump tax cuts as not exceeding the bill’s reconciliation instructions or adding to federal deficits after 2034.

If extending the Trump tax cuts is scored as budget neutral, then the bill complies with the Senate’s Byrd Rule, which determines what legislation can pass the Senate with a simple-majority vote.

If Democrats win the procedural argument, the bill would have to be rewritten and the 2017 Trump tax cuts would have to be offset with huge additional spending cuts to comply with the Senate’s Byrd Rule.

If Republicans win the procedural argument, they will then be able to make the expiring portions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act permanent — a major policy victory.

Wyden, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) and other senior Democrats made parliamentarian inquiries on the floor Sunday afternoon to set up a later challenge to the Republican baseline.

Merkley asked the presiding chair, first-term Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), if the House reconciliation bill used current law as the operative baseline when it was first laid before the Senate.

The chair answered “yes.”

Then Schumer asked if the Senate had ever used a baseline other than current law for a reconciliation measure, and the chair responded “no.”

Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the ranking member of the Appropriations Committee, asked if the nine titles of the Senate bill other than the Finance Committee’s portion used current-law baselines. Moreno answered “yes.”

Wyden then asked if the Finance title of the legislation relied on two different budgetary baselines, both current-law and current-policy baselines, and the chair acknowledged that is true.

Those answers prompted Murray, the longest-serving Democratic member of the Budget panel, to accuse Republicans of “ignoring precedent, process and the parliamentarian.”

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
Motorcycle police officer writing a traffic ticket.

New Law Imposes ‘$5 Per Mile’ Fine for Drivers from August 1, Alongside Increased Parking Ticket Fees

TICKET fees are about to face a major hike for certain drivers…
Woman in hospital bed recovering from dog attack.

Woman, 55, Attacked by Dogs While Delivering Uber Eats Order – Dogs Grabbed Her Head

A GRAN was left seriously injured after being mauled by two dogs…
Casey Anthony on a date at a bar.

Casey Anthony, Dubbed ‘Most Hated Mom in America,’ Seen in ‘Situationship’ with Former Cop and Gun Shop Owner

CASEY Anthony is back in the spotlight, this time sharing beers with…
Mariners' Cal Raleigh hits 37th, 38th homers to move within one of Barry Bonds' pace

Cal Raleigh of the Mariners Slugs 37th and 38th Home Runs, Approaching Barry Bonds’ Record Pace

DETROIT — Cal Raleigh launched his 37th and 38th home runs, closing…
Naperville news today: Centennial Beach closed amid death investigation at 500 West Jackson Avenue, park district says

Naperville Update: Centennial Beach Closure During Investigation of Incident at 500 West Jackson Avenue, Reports Park District

NAPERVILLE, Ill. (WLS) — A west suburban beach is closed to the…
Keir Starmer and Wes Streeting on the campaign trail.

Doctors Encouraged to Recommend Gym Over Sick Notes to Help Reduce Benefits Expenses in the UK

DOCTORS have been urged to stop handing out sick notes and instead…
Caribbean police work to ID body found during search for missing American as nearby security guard was killed

Caribbean Authorities Seek to Identify Body Found During Search for Missing American After Nearby Security Guard Killing

A security guard was killed about 9 miles from where an American…
2026 midterm elections: What the next election cycle means for Illinois Democratic Party as several Congressional seats open up

Upcoming 2026 Midterm Elections: Impact on Illinois Democratic Party with Multiple Congressional Seats Opening

The political environment in Illinois is poised for a notable transformation with…
Could this Hawaii community be the next Lahaina? Some residents fear a similar wildfire fate

Is this Hawaiian community at risk of becoming another Lahaina? Residents worry about facing a similar wildfire disaster.

WAIANAE, Hawaii (AP) — When the rain falls abundantly, the mountain-surrounded expanse…
Ghislaine Maxwell follows prison fitness routine, video shows, as DOJ's Jeffrey Epstein memo draws heat

Ghislaine Maxwell Seen Adhering to Fitness Routine in Prison, Footage Shows, Amid Controversy Over DOJ’s Jeffrey Epstein Memo

July 2025 – Completion of Review Yields Limited Details The Justice Department…
Intel Official Busted for Selling Top Secret Info to Foreign Nation Because He Was ‘Disturbed’ by Trump

Report: Kash Patel Stays Put Due to Leading Significant Russiagate Inquiry

Many experts believed that the Attorney General had made significant promises but…
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed shortly after his capture.

Guantanamo Bay Trial May Lead to Death Sentence for 9/11 Architect Khalid Sheikh Mohammed

THE chief architect of the 9/11 terrorist attacks could be sentenced to death after…