Washington (CNN)Republican lawmakers joined President Donald Trump on Wednesday afternoon to celebrate their largest legislative achievement of 2017, in a public ceremony spotlighting the most sweeping overhaul of the US tax system in more than 30 years.
"It's always a lot of fun when you win," Trump said at the ceremony on the White House lawn, after thanking congressional leaders including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan.
Hailing passage of the GOP's tax plan and surrounded by dozens of prominent Republicans in Congress, Trump said the package would fulfill his core campaign promise.
"It's really — it's simple. When you think you haven't heard this expression -- we are making America great again," he said, also ticking through a long list of congressional Republicans who helped guide the bill through Congress, adhering to an ambitious timeline that many considered laughable when it was unveiled just a few months ago.
Among those Republicans not at the White House on Wednesday: Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who voted for the Senate tax bill on Wednesday morning, but also acknowledged publicly that health care subsidies she wanted as part of a government spending deal will not be included before Congress leaves for its holiday break.
The bill passed the House a second time earlier Wednesday 224-201, with no Democrats backing it and a dozen House GOP members voting no. The measure now heads to the Trump's desk for his signature.
The President will not actually sign the bill Wednesday, however. The bill will not be "enrolled" yet -- the formal term for when a final copy of a bill passed by both houses of Congress is sent to the White House.
In a vote in the early Wednesday morning hours, the Senate approved the final version of the first overhaul of the US tax code in more than 30 years. The bill passed along party lines, 51-48, with the final result announced by Vice President Mike Pence, who presided over the vote. The House passed the bill earlier Tuesday, but technical changes were made to it in the Senate.
Questions:
1: Is the tax bill actually going to help the economy?
2. What do you predict will be the fallout from the tax bill for trumps administration?
3. Are you surprised that there were not more Republicans that flipped on the bill?
The tax bill may help the economy but the real question is at what cost? If we are making the poor poorer and the rich richer while increasing the national debt just to boost the economy in a small, if not negligible way, is that really worth it? My answer would simple be no.
ReplyDelete