Tax Break Trouble: GOP's Rush to Meet Trump's Deadline

The Senate is working through the weekend. Republicans are trying to pass a big tax and spending bill by July 4th. This is President Trump's plan. The bill is huge, with 940 pages. It includes tax cuts and spending reductions. But not everyone in the GOP agrees with the cuts, especially to Medicaid and food stamps. The bill was released late Friday night. Senators will vote soon to start talking about it. But there's a lot of debate and voting ahead. The House will also need to vote again before it can go to the White House. This bill is a big deal for the GOP. It's their main policy plan. Trump wants it done by his deadline. He's telling holdouts to support it. The bill makes some tax cuts permanent. It also adds new breaks, like no taxes on tips. Plus, it puts $350 billion into national security. But the spending cuts are causing problems. Some Republicans think the cuts are too harsh. Others want even deeper cuts. Some senators won't support the bill as it is. They have concerns about the details. There have been some setbacks. Some parts of the bill didn't follow the rules. Republicans had to change them. The final version includes a fund to help rural hospitals. But it's still not clear how it will affect health care and food aid. The bill also includes a compromise on the SALT deduction. This is a tax break for state and local taxes. The final draft raises the cap to $40, 000, but only for five years. Some Republicans think this is still too much. Democrats say Republicans are rushing the bill. They dropped it late at night and want to pass it quickly. The GOP leaders are working with Trump to get all lawmakers on board. But with narrow majorities, they need almost everyone to support it.