Trump details a strategy to get the votes he needs with a single-bill approach to borders and taxes
President-elect Trump pointed to the strategic benefit of the single law approach to budget reconciliation he said he prefers during a closed-door meeting with Republican senators Wednesday night at the Capitol.
By combining legislation relating to both southern borders crisis and taxes into one reconciliation bill, Trump suggested that one issue could potentially force some lawmakers to make a tough decision. For example, if a Republican does not support part of the tax component, they would also have to vote against the cap provisions because they are in one measure.
Trump explained the strategic component of his single-bill reconciliation approach. (Getty Images)
With portions of Trump’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 expires this year, the party wants to act quickly. But the 2025 tax debate is expected to be more divided among Republicans than the border debate. In particular, there is some disagreement in the party over the state and local tax (SALT) deduction, which may benefit some states more than others and has been criticized by some Republicans as ineffective.
“If someone, for example, in the House of Representatives objects to not having SALT in the tax treaty or some other provision that they want, if that also means they’re going to abstain and vote against the border, it might be harder for them to do that.” , Sen. John Hoeven, RN.D., told Fox News Digital. “That’s a very valid point.”
While Trump himself did not cite SALT as an example of this, the Republican senator mentioned it in passing conversation among other attendees as they talked about the benefits of the single account approach, Hoeven said.
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Senator John Hoeven, RN.D., speaks on May 4, 2022, on Capitol Hill in Washington. On Tuesday, Nov. 8, Hoeven faces a defector from his own party and an underfunded Democrat in his race for a third term in the U.S. Senate from North Dakota. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib, File)
A source familiar with the matter told Fox News that Republicans are preparing to accept Trump’s preference for one bill, but also keep the potential for two bills, one on the border and one on taxes, in their back pocket in case of any significant hurdle.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, RS.D., told Trump that if one bill was what he wanted, that’s what he would try first, the source said.
A number of senators instead prefer two separate drafts of the reconciliation bill, and some made their cases to Trump during the meeting. However, the conference should move forward with Trump’s single-bill approach.
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Thune was “resolute” in supporting Trump’s agenda as leader, one senator said. (Reuters)
Greenland, Canada and the Panama Canal came up during the debate after Trump’s remarks about each. Trump recently said he wants the U.S. to regain control of the key trade route through the Panama Canal, while also expressing interest in Greenland and Canada becoming part of the U.S.
Sources familiar with the matter told Fox News that Trump made the point himself during the meeting, telling senators at one point that those countries were “messing” with the US
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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks to the media outside Rideau Cottage on Monday, Jan. 6, in Ottawa. (AP/Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)
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Several Republican senators took the opportunity to tell Trump that his comments about Canada were “transformative,” the sources said.
Senators believe his approach to Canada is already changing the country’s “behavior” and may even have contributed to the recent resignation of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the sources added.
