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How the Senate Can Improve the House Tax and Budget Bill
Wall Street Journal ^ | May 22, 2025 | WSJ Editorial Board

Posted on 05/23/2025 8:12:11 AM PDT by karpov

House Republicans passed their giant tax and budget bill Thursday, a political triumph for Speaker Mike Johnson despite its policy disappointments. The House bill had to pass because the alternative was a GOP failure to govern, but the Senate now has a chance to make it better.

The House version does include some policy gains, notably preventing a $4.5 trillion tax increase next year if President Trump’s 2017 tax cuts expire. Lower tax rates for individuals are made permanent. The measure would restore full expensing, which encourages business investment, albeit only through 2029. The bill also doesn’t disturb the 21% permanent corporate tax rate, which was the crowning achievement of 2017.

The bill’s tax and Medicaid provisions are absorbing media oxygen, but there are brighter spots elsewhere. The $150 billion infusion for national defense is sorely needed. The bill’s billions for building ships could be a life raft for a shrinking U.S. Navy, if paired with presidential leadership.

There is some modest welfare reform that cements the GOP as the only party still defending America’s work ethic. The bill tightens food-stamp work requirements and asks able-bodied adults, including parents with school-age children, to work or volunteer part-time.

The bill also aims to limit the federal government’s student loan buffet and hold colleges more accountable for student outcomes. One provision that has received little attention is an expansion of health-savings accounts that Americans like and allow more individual choice in health spending.

(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Editorial
KEYWORDS: budget
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To: fwdude

isnt this is a majority vote?

rino defectors are the biggest threat


21 posted on 05/23/2025 9:21:55 AM PDT by joshua c
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To: taxcontrol

crap

10k is too low


22 posted on 05/23/2025 9:28:44 AM PDT by joshua c
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To: joshua c

10K is not too low. The rest of the US does not need to finance the states of California and NY.


23 posted on 05/23/2025 9:59:34 AM PDT by taxcontrol (You are entitled to your opinion, no matter how wrong it is.)
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To: Carry_Okie

Close Medicare for illegals? Gee cal may secede. GO FOR IT!


24 posted on 05/23/2025 10:16:43 AM PDT by Mouton (There is a new sheriff and deputy in town to now!)
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To: taxcontrol

As a refugee from the evil blue empire state, I think a fair compromise would be a tiered approach based on income levels, or maybe just raising the cap to $25,000 for those earning $350k and under. Maybe some sort of caveat that state budgets can’t grow by ‘x’?!


25 posted on 05/23/2025 10:31:19 AM PDT by 4 Libertys sake (Fighting the good fight against enemies, domestic and unrepentant!!!)
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To: Mouton
Close Medicare for illegals? Gee cal may secede. GO FOR IT!

I take it you want to see FreeRepublic.com under control of a sovereign leftist government.

Think of California instead as an object lesson into where leftist governance goes and an opportunity to show how to turn it around.

26 posted on 05/23/2025 10:37:46 AM PDT by Carry_Okie (The tree of liberty needs a rope.)
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To: taxcontrol

End SALT deductions.


27 posted on 05/23/2025 10:42:47 AM PDT by Arcadian Empire (The Baric-Daszak-Fauci spike protein, by itself, is deadly.)
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To: Carry_Okie

California may devolve into civil war—East vs west. MAGA East with Capital in Bakersfield vs. Liberal west based in Sacramento./Hollywood. California is ripe for revolt with the gas tax and illegal/homeless problems. Liberals just can’t govern—look what they did to San Francisco? Newsum and Harris both failed leaders. Time to cut the state in half—save the best and let the CCP have the rest.


28 posted on 05/23/2025 10:44:06 AM PDT by Forward the Light Brigade (. War is Hell, War IS a Crime.)
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To: Carry_Okie

California may devolve into civil war—East vs west. MAGA East with Capital in Bakersfield vs. Liberal west based in Sacramento./Hollywood. California is ripe for revolt with the gas tax and illegal/homeless problems. Liberals just can’t govern—look what they did to San Francisco? Newsum and Harris both failed leaders. Time to cut the state in half—save the best and let the CCP have the rest.


29 posted on 05/23/2025 10:44:20 AM PDT by Forward the Light Brigade (. War is Hell, War IS a Crime.)
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To: Blue Turtle

You are right.


30 posted on 05/23/2025 10:44:31 AM PDT by Arcadian Empire (The Baric-Daszak-Fauci spike protein, by itself, is deadly.)
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To: karpov

As usual, the useless Senate Republicans will screw us good.


31 posted on 05/23/2025 10:49:54 AM PDT by Fledermaus ("It turns out all we really needed was a new President!")
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To: Forward the Light Brigade
Newsum and Harris both failed leaders.

Looks to me like Noisome, Aunt Pelosi, and the bobblehead have been most successful. San Francisco real estate can now be bought for a song!

Time to cut the state in half—save the best and let the CCP have the rest.

They're using the High Speed Rail project to move the population eastward, likely with a healthy dose of degenerates and illegals. So have fun with that fantasy.

32 posted on 05/23/2025 10:50:06 AM PDT by Carry_Okie (The tree of liberty needs a rope.)
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To: karpov

WELFARE COST ISSUES WILL DROP IMMENSELY WHEN ILLEGALS ARE GONE.


33 posted on 05/23/2025 11:05:34 AM PDT by ridesthemiles (not giving up on TRUMP---EVER)
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To: karpov

WELFARE COST ISSUES WILL DROP IMMENSELY WHEN ILLEGALS ARE GONE.

BOTH ENDS OF THE BARN NEED TO HAVE CLOSED DOORS


34 posted on 05/23/2025 11:06:35 AM PDT by ridesthemiles (not giving up on TRUMP---EVER)
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To: fwdude

With a higher bar for passage, the Democrats will make their demands for implementation to make it even remotely viable to go through.


Where is the “higher bar for passage?

The filibuster does not apply.

Republicans have a stronger majority in the Senate than in the House.


35 posted on 05/23/2025 11:15:10 AM PDT by marktwain
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To: marktwain

We’ll see. I think we have more powerful RINO’s in the senate than in the house. Hopeful for a decent outcome.


36 posted on 05/23/2025 11:16:20 AM PDT by fwdude (Why is there a "far/radical right," but damned if they'll admit that there is a far/radical left?)
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To: fwdude

Certainly possible.

We shall see, as you say.


37 posted on 05/23/2025 11:17:05 AM PDT by marktwain
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To: All

1) The very old with dememtia require nursing home care and this is typically funded by Medicaid. As in 60% of patients. Don’t think your parents will do it because you will care for them? If that’s your attitude, you hate your parents. You are not qualified to provide 24/7 dementia care and if you try you are doing them harm.

No, there is no reply anecdotal reply about your cousin cared for your aunt or your sister cared for your mom. If your sister or cousin are not nurses, they were not qualified to do that.

2) Illegals do indeed get value from Medicaid. On average a few pennies. An insignificant amount. Almost no burden on the system. If they disappear you think that will reduce the Medicaid budget 80%? You have done no numerical research. When every single one disappears, the impact on Medicaid will be nearly nothing. Single white mothers and their kids are the dominant consumers.


38 posted on 05/23/2025 11:34:16 AM PDT by Owen
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To: Owen

Hispanics are counted as “white” in racial statistics, as I recall.


39 posted on 05/23/2025 11:36:21 AM PDT by marktwain
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To: marktwain

The surveys are self identified. No one counts hispanics as white by default. What is counted is what is on the form.

I have never heard of any left wing presentation of instructions to filling out Medicaid telling people to claim to be white.

So, no. Appalachia is loaded with single white mothers on Medicaid. Not a preferred destination for illegals.


40 posted on 05/23/2025 1:02:10 PM PDT by Owen
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