WASHINGTON: The US Senate version of President Donald Trump鈥檚 sweeping tax-cut and spending bill will add $3.3 trillion to the nation鈥檚 debt, about $800 billion more than the version passed last month by the House of Representatives, a nonpartisan forecaster said on Sunday.
The Congressional Budget Office issued its estimate of the bill鈥檚 hit to the $36.2 trillion federal debt as Senate Republicans sought to push the bill forward in a marathon weekend session.
Republicans, who have long voiced concern about growing US deficits and debt, have rejected the CBO鈥檚 longstanding methodology to calculate the cost of legislation. But Democrats hope the latest, eye-widening figure could stoke enough anxiety among fiscally-minded conservatives to get them to buck their party, which controls both chambers of Congress.
The Senate only narrowly advanced the tax-cut, immigration, border and military spending bill in a procedural vote late on Saturday, voting 51-49 to open debate on the 940-page megabill.
Trump on social media hailed Saturday鈥檚 vote as a 鈥済reat victory鈥 for his 鈥済reat, big, beautiful bill.鈥
In an illustration of the depths of the divide within the Republican Party over the bill, Senator Thom Tillis said he would not seek re-election next year, after Trump threatened to back a primary challenger in retribution for Tillis鈥 Saturday night vote against the bill. Tillis鈥 North Carolina seat is one of the few Republican Senate seats seen as vulnerable in next year鈥檚 midterm elections. He was one of just two Republicans to vote no on Saturday.
Trump wants the bill passed before the July 4 Independence Day holiday. While that deadline is one of choice, lawmakers will face a far more serious deadline later this summer when they must raise the nation鈥檚 self-imposed debt ceiling or risk a devastating default on $36.2 trillion in debt.
鈥淲e are going to make sure hardworking people can keep more of their money,鈥 Senator Katie Britt, an Alabama Republican, told CNN鈥檚 State of the Union on Sunday.
HITS TO BENEFITS
Senator Mark Warner, a Democrat from Virginia, said this legislation would come to haunt Republicans if it gets approved, predicting 16 million Americans would lose their health insurance.
鈥淢any of my Republican friends know … they鈥檙e walking the plank on this and we鈥檒l see if those who鈥檝e expressed quiet consternation will actually have the courage of their convictions,鈥 Warner told CBS News鈥 鈥淔ace the Nation with Margaret Brennan.鈥
The legislation has been the sole focus of a marathon weekend congressional session marked by political drama, division and lengthy delays as Democrats seek to slow the legislation鈥檚 path to passage.
Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer called for the entire text of the bill to be read on the Senate floor, a process that began before midnight Saturday and ran well into Sunday afternoon. Following that lawmakers will begin up to 20 hours of debate on the legislation. That will be followed by an amendment session, known as a 鈥渧ote-a-rama,鈥 before the Senate votes on passage. Lawmakers said they hoped to complete work on the bill on Monday.