Senate GOP pushes ahead with budget bill that funds Trump's mass deportations and border wall

Washington, Feb 19 (AP) Senate Republicans pushed ahead late on Tuesday on a scaled-back budget bill, a USD 340 billion package to give the Trump administration money for mass deportations and other priorities, as Democrats prepare a counter-campaign against the onslaught of actions coming from the White House.

On a party-line vote, 50-47, Republicans launched the process, skipping ahead of the House Republicans who prefer President Donald Trump's approach for a "big, beautiful bill" that includes USD 4.5 trillion in tax cuts that are tops on the party agenda. Senate Republicans plan to deal with tax cuts later, in a second package.

"It's time to act," said Senate Majority Leader John Thune on social media, announcing the plan ahead as the House is on recess week. "Let's get it done." This is the first step in unlocking Trump's campaign promises -- tax cuts, energy production and border controls -- and dominating the agenda in Congress. While Republicans have majority control of both the House and Senate, giving a rare sweep of Washington power, they face big hurdles trying to put the president's agenda into law over steep Democratic objections.

It's coming as the administration's Department of Government Efficiency effort is slashing costs across government departments, leaving a trail of fired federal workers and dismantling programmes on which many Americans depend. Democrats, having floundered amid the initial chaos coming from the White House, emerged galvanised as they try to warn Americans what's at stake.

Schumer convened a private weekend call with Democratic senators and emerged with a strategy to challenge Republicans for prioritising tax cuts that primarily flow to the wealthy at the expense of programme and service cuts to US health care, scientific research, veterans services and other programmes.

As the Senate begins the cumbersome budget process this week -- which entails an initial 50 hours of debate followed by an expected all-night session with hundreds of efforts to amend the package in what's called a vote-a-rama -- Democrats are preparing to drill down on those issues.

The Senate GOP package would allow USD 175 billion to be spent on border security, including funding for mass deportation operations and to build the wall along the US-Mexico border, a USD 150 billion boost to the Pentagon for defence spending, and USD 20 billion for the Coast Guard.

Republicans are determined to push ahead after Trump's border czar Tom Homan and top aide Stephen Miller told senators privately last week they are running short of cash to accomplish the president's mass deportations and other border priorities.

The Senate Budget Committee said the package would cost about USD 85.5 billion a year, for four years of Trump's presidency, paid for with new reductions and revenues elsewhere that other committees will draw up.

Eyeing ways to pay for the package, Senate Republicans are considering a rollback of the Biden administration's methane emissions fee, which was approved by Democrats as part of climate change strategies in the Inflation Reduction Act, and hoping to draw new revenue from energy leases as they aim to spur domestic energy production.

While the House and Senate budget resolutions are often considered simply statements of policy priorities, these could actually become law.

The budget resolutions are being considered under what's called the reconciliation process, which allows passage on a simple majority vote without many of the procedural hurdles that stall bills. Once rare, reconciliation is increasingly being used in the House and Senate to pass big packages on party-line votes when one party controls the White House and Congress.

During Trump's first term, Republicans used the reconciliation process to pass the GOP tax cuts in 2017. Democrats used reconciliation during the Biden presidency era to approve Covid relief and also the Inflation Reduction Act. (AP) SZM

Source: PTI