Republican fiscal hawks hold up Donald Trump’s tax plan
Concern about the bill’s effect on the budget deficit has not been assuaged
Washington — The US Senate on Thursday delayed voting on a Republican tax overhaul as the bill was tripped up by problems with an amendment sought by fiscal hawks to address a large expansion of the federal budget deficit projected to result from the measure. The Senate was debating the legislation late into Thursday, but put off any votes until Friday. It was not clear whether a decisive vote on the bill would happen on Friday. The delay underscored nagging concerns among Republican fiscal conservatives. The party sees the bill’s effect on the budget deficit as crucial to its political prospects in the November 2018 elections, when it will fight to keep control of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Since taking office in January, President Donald Trump and Republicans now in control of Congress have yet to pass major legislation, a fact they hope to change with their proposed tax-code overhaul, which would be the biggest since the 1980s. Democrats, expected to unanimously...
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