美国人的福音：参院共和党通过预算决议，推进川普减税法案，同时增加国防开支
美国参议院周六（4月5日）凌晨通过预算决议案，启动立法捷径，为川普（特朗普）政府延长2017年减税政策铺路。此案可绕过民主党阻挠，推进减税、削减支出与增加国防投资。然而，参众两院共和党人在Medicaid与减税规模上出现分歧，后续协商恐添变数。
此次决议的通过，开启“预算协调程序”（budget reconciliation），使共和党人在稍晚阶段可绕过参议院的阻挠议事程序（filibuster），无需民主党支持即可通过相关法案。
在历时六小时的修正案表决中，由参议院多数党领袖图恩（John Thune）与党鞭巴拉索（John Barrasso）领导的共和党团，成功挡下民主党人提出的所有修正条文。
不过，该案在国防支出、赤字上限与福利改革方面，与众议院共和党版本存在明显分歧，也为后续立法谈判埋下变数。
根据美国国会制度，预算决议案本身不具法律效力，但一旦参、众两院通过相同版本，即可启动协调程序，使参议院能以简单多数（51票）通过税收、支出、债务上限等相关法案，无须达到60票，以克服“阻挠议事”。
此案最终以51票对48票获得通过，仅共和党参议员保罗（Rand Paul）与柯林斯（Susan Collins）投下反对票。
参议院预算决议案的主要内容
1. 延长川普2017年减税法案中，针对个人纳税人的减税条款。该法案将企业税率从35%降至21%，属于永久性税改，没有到期限制。但个人所得税的多项减税措施，为了控制预算赤字，被设计为2025年底自动到期。川普力推的延长减税政策，即是试图将即将失效的个人减税政策永久化。
2. 将债务上限提高5万亿美元，避免美国债务违约。
3. 新增1,500亿美元国防开支。
4. 依照众议院的要求，明确指示相关委员会削减高达8,800亿美元的联邦赤字。尽管该条款未明言削减医疗补助（Medicaid），许多共和党议员也表示，可透过提高行政效率达成节支效果。但一些专家认为，此削减目标将波及Medicaid支出，成为党内争议焦点。多位共和党参议员表示，他们不会支持删减Medicaid预算的法案。
5. 推动边境安全与非法移民遣返。
图恩：若不通过预算决议 等同加税4万亿美元
参议院共和党领袖图恩力推这项决议案时表示，若不推进此案，川普第一任期内的重要减税政策，将于年底自动失效。
他说：“如果投票反对这份预算决议案，等同于支持对美国经济与人民增税4万亿美元。”
不过，民主党人批评此案是为富人延长税收优惠，将进一步扩大赤字与收入不平等。
参众院共和党分歧 恐仍需协商
为了延长减税而允许的最大赤字增加额，参众两院共和党人的看法并不一致。此次参院通过预算决议案，对未来赤字增加容忍度为1.5万亿美元；而众院版本则为4.5万亿美元，用以容纳更多减税政策（如：小费收入与社安福利免税）。
此外，国防预算目标也不同：参院版本编列1,500亿美元，众院版本仅列1,000亿美元。参院军事委员会主席威克（Roger Wicker）甚至希望提高至1,750亿美元，显示未来仍需协商。
目前，众院预计将于下周审议此案，但众议院议长约翰逊（Mike Johnson）面临党内分歧，可能影响法案进度。
US Senate Republicans vote to advance Trump's sweeping tax cut plan
Story by David Morgan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Senate Republicans took a procedural step forward on President Donald Trump's sweeping tax cut agenda on Thursday, overcoming concerns among some Republican lawmakers that the plan does not include sufficient spending cuts.
The Senate voted 52-48 to move forward with the framework to address Trump's proposals for tax cuts, border enforcement and increased military spending, which nonpartisan analysts warn could add $5.8 trillion to the federal government's debt over the next decade.
Lawmakers hope to pass the resolution after up to 50 hours of floor debate, and send it on to the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.
Both chambers must approve the same budget resolution to unlock a key parliamentary tool that would allow Republicans to circumvent Senate Democrats and enact the Trump agenda later this year. That could take several months.
Thursday's vote came a day after the White House assured congressional Republicans that Trump supported their desire to include deep spending cuts in the bill.
The Senate Budget Committee plan estimates the cost of extending Trump's 2017 tax cuts, as well as delivering on sweeping new promises to eliminate taxes on tips, overtime and Social Security retirement payments, at $1.5 trillion over a decade. That is far below the $4.5 trillion cost estimated in a blueprint that passed the House in February.
The Senate and House cost estimates differ because Senate Republicans intend to use a controversial approach that claims extending the 2017 tax cuts will not add to the nation's debt.
Top Senate Republican John Thune, of South Dakota, huddled before the vote with fellow Republicans to address concerns about that controversial approach. Republican Senator John Cornyn of Texas, who attended the closed-door meeting, said leaders assuaged worries including whether Republicans would try to overrule the Senate parliamentarian, the chamber's gatekeeper on rules, if she opposed the move later in the year when legislation to enact the Trump agenda reaches the Senate floor.
"I think the answer to that is, 'no,'" Cornyn told reporters.
The Senate measure also calls for a $5 trillion increase in the borrowing limit on the $36.6 trillion debt, which Republicans say will prevent the issue from coming up again until after the 2026 midterm elections.
The Senate blueprint contains an aspirational goal of cutting $2 trillion in spending from domestic programs that increased during the COVID pandemic, as a way of winning House support.
But House Republicans have voiced skepticism about the blueprint, citing enforceable spending-cut goals that seek only a few billion dollars in spending reductions.
Democrats have warned that lawmakers will have a hard time achieving their $2 trillion spending-cut goal without cutting deeply into the Medicaid health insurance plan for low-income Americans.
The nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimated the Senate budget measure could add about $5.8 trillion to the U.S. debt in the next decade.
Nonpartisan budget analysts have estimated that adopting all of Trump's tax proposals could cost up to $11 trillion.
此次决议的通过，开启“预算协调程序”（budget reconciliation），使共和党人在稍晚阶段可绕过参议院的阻挠议事程序（filibuster），无需民主党支持即可通过相关法案。
在历时六小时的修正案表决中，由参议院多数党领袖图恩（John Thune）与党鞭巴拉索（John Barrasso）领导的共和党团，成功挡下民主党人提出的所有修正条文。
不过，该案在国防支出、赤字上限与福利改革方面，与众议院共和党版本存在明显分歧，也为后续立法谈判埋下变数。
根据美国国会制度，预算决议案本身不具法律效力，但一旦参、众两院通过相同版本，即可启动协调程序，使参议院能以简单多数（51票）通过税收、支出、债务上限等相关法案，无须达到60票，以克服“阻挠议事”。
此案最终以51票对48票获得通过，仅共和党参议员保罗（Rand Paul）与柯林斯（Susan Collins）投下反对票。
参议院预算决议案的主要内容
1. 延长川普2017年减税法案中，针对个人纳税人的减税条款。该法案将企业税率从35%降至21%，属于永久性税改，没有到期限制。但个人所得税的多项减税措施，为了控制预算赤字，被设计为2025年底自动到期。川普力推的延长减税政策，即是试图将即将失效的个人减税政策永久化。
2. 将债务上限提高5万亿美元，避免美国债务违约。
3. 新增1,500亿美元国防开支。
4. 依照众议院的要求，明确指示相关委员会削减高达8,800亿美元的联邦赤字。尽管该条款未明言削减医疗补助（Medicaid），许多共和党议员也表示，可透过提高行政效率达成节支效果。但一些专家认为，此削减目标将波及Medicaid支出，成为党内争议焦点。多位共和党参议员表示，他们不会支持删减Medicaid预算的法案。
5. 推动边境安全与非法移民遣返。
图恩：若不通过预算决议 等同加税4万亿美元
参议院共和党领袖图恩力推这项决议案时表示，若不推进此案，川普第一任期内的重要减税政策，将于年底自动失效。
他说：“如果投票反对这份预算决议案，等同于支持对美国经济与人民增税4万亿美元。”
不过，民主党人批评此案是为富人延长税收优惠，将进一步扩大赤字与收入不平等。
参众院共和党分歧 恐仍需协商
为了延长减税而允许的最大赤字增加额，参众两院共和党人的看法并不一致。此次参院通过预算决议案，对未来赤字增加容忍度为1.5万亿美元；而众院版本则为4.5万亿美元，用以容纳更多减税政策（如：小费收入与社安福利免税）。
此外，国防预算目标也不同：参院版本编列1,500亿美元，众院版本仅列1,000亿美元。参院军事委员会主席威克（Roger Wicker）甚至希望提高至1,750亿美元，显示未来仍需协商。
目前，众院预计将于下周审议此案，但众议院议长约翰逊（Mike Johnson）面临党内分歧，可能影响法案进度。
US Senate Republicans vote to advance Trump's sweeping tax cut plan
Story by David Morgan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Senate Republicans took a procedural step forward on President Donald Trump's sweeping tax cut agenda on Thursday, overcoming concerns among some Republican lawmakers that the plan does not include sufficient spending cuts.
The Senate voted 52-48 to move forward with the framework to address Trump's proposals for tax cuts, border enforcement and increased military spending, which nonpartisan analysts warn could add $5.8 trillion to the federal government's debt over the next decade.
Lawmakers hope to pass the resolution after up to 50 hours of floor debate, and send it on to the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.
Both chambers must approve the same budget resolution to unlock a key parliamentary tool that would allow Republicans to circumvent Senate Democrats and enact the Trump agenda later this year. That could take several months.
Thursday's vote came a day after the White House assured congressional Republicans that Trump supported their desire to include deep spending cuts in the bill.
The Senate Budget Committee plan estimates the cost of extending Trump's 2017 tax cuts, as well as delivering on sweeping new promises to eliminate taxes on tips, overtime and Social Security retirement payments, at $1.5 trillion over a decade. That is far below the $4.5 trillion cost estimated in a blueprint that passed the House in February.
The Senate and House cost estimates differ because Senate Republicans intend to use a controversial approach that claims extending the 2017 tax cuts will not add to the nation's debt.
Top Senate Republican John Thune, of South Dakota, huddled before the vote with fellow Republicans to address concerns about that controversial approach. Republican Senator John Cornyn of Texas, who attended the closed-door meeting, said leaders assuaged worries including whether Republicans would try to overrule the Senate parliamentarian, the chamber's gatekeeper on rules, if she opposed the move later in the year when legislation to enact the Trump agenda reaches the Senate floor.
"I think the answer to that is, 'no,'" Cornyn told reporters.
The Senate measure also calls for a $5 trillion increase in the borrowing limit on the $36.6 trillion debt, which Republicans say will prevent the issue from coming up again until after the 2026 midterm elections.
The Senate blueprint contains an aspirational goal of cutting $2 trillion in spending from domestic programs that increased during the COVID pandemic, as a way of winning House support.
But House Republicans have voiced skepticism about the blueprint, citing enforceable spending-cut goals that seek only a few billion dollars in spending reductions.
Democrats have warned that lawmakers will have a hard time achieving their $2 trillion spending-cut goal without cutting deeply into the Medicaid health insurance plan for low-income Americans.
The nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimated the Senate budget measure could add about $5.8 trillion to the U.S. debt in the next decade.
Nonpartisan budget analysts have estimated that adopting all of Trump's tax proposals could cost up to $11 trillion.
