Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ heads for showdown with Senate parliamentarian
by Alexander Bolton - 06/02/25 6:00 AM ET
House-passed legislation to enact President Trump’s agenda is headed for a showdown with the Senate parliamentarian as Democrats plan to challenge key elements of it, including a proposal to make Trump’s expiring 2017 tax cuts permanent.
Senate Democrats are warning ahead of the fight that if Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) makes an end run around the parliamentarian to make Trump’s tax cuts permanent, it would seriously undermine the filibuster and open the door to Democrats rewriting Senate rules in the future.
Senate Republicans argue that it’s up to Senate Budget Committee Chair Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) to set the budgetary baseline for the bill. They say it’s not up to the parliamentarian to determine whether extending the 2017 Trump tax cuts should be scored as adding to the deficit.
If Graham determines that extending Trump’s tax cuts should be judged as an extension of current policy and therefore is budget neutral, it would allow Republicans to make the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act permanent, which is a top priority of Thune and Senate Finance Committee Chair Mike Crapo (R-Idaho).
Democrats expect Senate Republicans to do just that, most likely by putting the question to a vote in the Senate, which Republicans control with 53 seats.
more
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5326610-democrats-challenge-trump-tax-cuts/
