Republican Party Outlines Big Trump Agenda Despite Past Mistakes

Senate Republicans hoping to gain full control of Congress and the White House are crafting an ambitious legislative package that will go far beyond the extension of former President Trump’s tax cuts.

The legislation, being cobbled together for budget reconciliation rules that would prevent a Senate filibuster, would need to win the support of most or all elected Republicans to become law. That could be a difficult prospect, especially in a small majority.

Both parties, when they controlled the House, the Senate and the White House, had difficulty unifying their members around gigantic packages. Early in President Biden’s first term, Democrats had to scale back their goals when centrist Senators Joe Manchin (IW.Va.) – who was still a Democrat at the time – and Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) balked at his ambitious plans .

Republicans themselves had a long effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2017, which came up empty-handed when the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) issued his famous thumbs-down that forced the party into Plan B. They ended up approving tax reform months later.

But Republican Party leaders are undeterred.

“You have to be realistic about what you can achieve,” said Sen. John Thune (S.D.), one of three Republicans hoping to be Senate majority leader next year. and accomplish as much as you can in terms of the agenda.”

“It’s a work in progress,” Thune continued of the negotiations. “But obviously we are doing a lot of thinking and considering, and talking to people on the House side about what might be doable and what is realistic.”

Negotiations over the package were highlighted earlier this month when the Senate GOP conference met separately with Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).

At the top of the party’s list is extending the cuts that were instituted under the Republican Party’s 2017 tax reform package. And most Republicans want to go further, promoting cuts in mandatory government spending to reduce the federal deficit, as well as a significant boost on defense. spending.

Some are also looking at other priorities that they could incorporate into a potential reconciliation package, including provisions related to the border. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), who is also seeking to succeed Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) at the top of the conference, told reporters after the meeting with Johnson that the House speaker has made it clear that House Republicans “want to try to go big,” meaning “more than just extending tax cuts.”

“It seems to me that the House will have a very ambitious appetite for the budget,” Cornyn said of a possible massive plan. “It will be the art of the possible.”

But the ghosts of past failed reconciliation efforts — and the precious time they cost the responsible party — haunt some members.

Democrats were left with just a fraction of Biden’s Build Back Better plan, which was initially launched with a $3.5 trillion price tag, then was cut several times before Manchin fired the killing shot against the massive proposal. Democrats eventually came up with the nearly $900 billion Reducing Inflation Act, a much less expansive bill than their initial plans.

And top Republicans have made clear that repealing the ACA is not part of their plan after the failed 2017 attempt to overturn the 2010 law that has plagued the GOP since it was passed.

“For the people who were here… it’s in the back of your mind,” a senior Senate GOP aide said of the ACA repeal attempt, noting that they remember “vividly” where they were when McCain voted against it.

“But I think what’s changed between then and now is that things come and go a lot faster,” they said.

The aide also noted that several seats have been flipped since the attempt to repeal ObamaCare, and newer lawmakers have no memory of those arduous months. About a quarter of the Senate GOP conference was not in Congress when they tried to kill the ACA.

Budget reconciliation could also be a key tool for the party to achieve a large increase in defense spending. Democrats have long opposed increased funding for the Pentagon without “parity” for non-defense programs and social spending.

Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), who is in line to chair the Senate Armed Services Committee if Republicans regain the majority, has proposed increasing defense spending from 2.9 percent to 5 percent of gross domestic product in the next five to seven years. . McConnell gave his full support to this idea.

“That, in my opinion, is absurd,” McConnell said of the Democratic insistence on parity. “This does not reflect current needs.”

Republicans insist they are not putting the cart before the horse by talking about the possibilities of reconciliation more than half a year into the session of the 119th Congress. They say the discussions are necessary, especially at a time when members have moved almost completely into campaign mode.

“I’m glad the Speaker of the House is proactively thinking about being prepared to get to work on day one,” said Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas). “Historically, the first 100 days [of a presidency] it can have many consequences, and planning and foresight are tremendously important.”

But the nascent plan depends on Republicans gaining control of the House, Senate and White House, and those results are up in the air.

Trump has maintained a slight lead over Biden in battleground polls, although the two are tied.

Republicans are widely expected to take control of the Senate, although there is a very real possibility that they will only win 50 or 51 seats, putting them in a similar situation to where they were in the first year of Trump’s single term.

The Republican Party would need to maintain control of the House, an outcome that is yet another jump-ball. According to Cook Political Report210 seats are Republican or better, with 203 leaning Democratic and 22 seats potentially deciding control of the body.

“The first step is we need a Republican president, a Republican House and a Republican Senate,” McConnell told reporters last week, “or there will be no reconciliation at all.”

“It’s an important tool,” he continued. “We hope to have the opportunity to use it.”

This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story