By David Morgan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Republicans in Congress would aim to pass a slew of tax, border and economic policies in a legislative maneuver that would sidestep Democratic objections if they win the Nov. 5 election, the No. 2 Republican in the House of Representatives said Wednesday.
Majority Leader in the House of Representatives Steve Scalise said as Donald Trump If the Republicans win the presidency and Republicans win the Senate and keep the House, they will use a process called “budget reconciliation” to preserve the tax cuts passed when Trump was president and to reduce regulations passed by Democrats energy and other industries.
Reconciliation allows lawmakers to enact budget legislation with simple majority votes in both chambers, bypassing normal Senate rules that require 60 of 100 senators to agree on most legislation.
“It’s something we’re looking at to solve a lot of the issues Joe Biden created and get the economy moving again,” Scalise told reporters at the U.S. Capitol.
Democrats used the same process to sidestep Republican objections to measures, including a $430 billion bill aimed at combating climate change and lowering drug prices, which passed in 2022 and was signed into law by President Biden .
Republicans are favored to gain a majority in the Senate, which currently has a 51-49 Democratic majority, as Biden’s party defends seats in at least three Republican states. But they are unlikely to win a filibuster-proof majority of 60 votes.
Scalise also said the strategy could allow Congress to strengthen security at the U.S.-Mexico border by funding more border security agents, additional security technology and the completion of a border wall.
Even with full Republican control of Congress, tax and spending legislation could still face obstacles.
The current 217-213 Republican majority in the House of Representatives has struggled to move Republican spending legislation over the past 18 months, with progress hampered by party infighting over tough demands for deep cuts and by policy of poison pills.
A $78 billion package of tax breaks for low-income businesses and families passed the House of Representatives in January with a strong bipartisan vote. However, the measure has stalled in the Senate, where it has faced Republican opposition.
Trump has also mulled a new tax cut for the middle class, which could prove popular with voters but could also worsen the U.S. budget deficit.
The tax cuts that Scalise hopes to keep next year were implemented through a major tax cut package after Trump became president in 2016.
Democrats and other critics say Trump’s cuts have added $2 trillion to the federal budget deficit, which now exceeds $34 trillion. Republicans argue that the policy has boosted tax revenues by spurring the strong growth that characterized the U.S. economy before the COVID-19 pandemic emerged in 2020.
(Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Scott Malone and Jonathan Oatis)
