Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (Rs.C.) said the key to unlocking President Trump's agenda would require a “massive overhaul” before it passes the Senate.
Graham cited issues in solving the House budget before passing slightly through the lower chamber of 217-215 on Tuesday evening.
“Tax cuts are not permanent. They are not using current policies [budget baseline]. That would be a big overhaul,” Graham told reporters.
The veteran South Carolina Senator declined to comment further when asked about the topic Wednesday.
“Not now,” he said as he approached reporters after meeting a Republican senator at the Capitol.
However, other Republican senators reflected Graham's view that budget solutions handed over to the house would need to make a major change.
“We need to put a baseline for our current policy. Then, if we need to consider additional tax policies, what should we decide,” said Mike Krapo (R-Idaho) of the Senate Finance Committee.
When asked whether Senate Republicans would simply accept the House budget plan, Crapo replied, “Oh, no.”
“I think everyone knows. Now, this is where work starts,” he said.
The House budget uses the “current law” budget baseline to earn the costs of extending the 2017 Trump Signature Tax Cuts and Employment Act, which expires at the end of 2017.
That approach required House Republicans to come up with at least $1.5 trillion in spending cuts to offset some of the expected budget impact.
Crapo wants to use the “current policy” baseline instead. This does not predict an extension of existing tax policies as adding to the deficit.
“What we're saying is we're not going to raise taxes, so is it an increase in debt that we're not raising taxes?” he said.
