Latest news with #HouseResolution
GMA Network
2 days ago
- Politics
- GMA Network
Romualdez: Impeachment court's move to return raps to House 'deeply concerning'
'Deeply concerning.' That's how House Speaker Martin Romualdez described the Senate impeachment court's move to return the articles of impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte to the House. "I rise, not in defiance, but with resolve, guided by duty, grounded in principle. The decision of the Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, to return the articles of impeachment is deeply concerning,' Romualdez said in his speech Wednesday night. Romualdez, however, said that they "will comply with the requirements of the impeachment court" to ensure that the process continues. "In matters of truth and accountability, the House does not back down,' said Romualdez. The House of Representatives, meanwhile, has certified that the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte complied with the 1987 Constitution. On a motion by Isabela Rep. Inno Dy, the House plenary deferred acceptance of the articles of impeachment until the Senate Impeachment Court has responded to the queries sought by the House prosecution panel regarding the remanding of the articles of impeachment. With no objections, the motion was carried. In a voice vote, the House plenary adopted House Resolution No. 2346, which certified that the impeachment initiated on February 5, 2025, against Sara Duterte fully complied with the constitution, including the circumstances on the filing of the first three impeachment complaints. The Senate sitting as an impeachment court on Tuesday voted for the articles of impeachment to be returned to the House of Representatives without dismissing or terminating the case until such time that: The House of Representatives certified to the non-violation of Article XI, Section 3, paragraph 5 of the Constitution, which provides that 'No impeachment proceedings shall be initiated against the same official more than once within one year; include the circumstances on the filing of the first three impeachment complaints"; and The House of Representatives of the 20th Congress communicated to the Senate that it was willing and ready to pursue the impeachment complaint against the Vice President. Those who voted yes include Senate President Chiz Escudero and Senators Ronald 'Bato' Dela Rosa, Robin Padilla, Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go, Francis Tolentino, Imee Marcos, Cynthia Villar, Mark Villar, Jinggoy Estrada, JV Ejercito, Ramon Revilla Jr., Joel Villanueva, Lito Lapid, Alan Peter Cayetano, Pia Cayetano, Loren Legarda, Raffy Tulfo, and Juan Miguel Zubiri. The negative votes came from Minority Leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III, Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros, and Senators Grace Poe, Sherwin Gatchalian, and Nancy Binay. —VAL, GMA Integrated News
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Senate GOP to vote on its plan for Trump's agenda despite Trump backing rival House plan
Senate Republicans are plowing ahead with their efforts to advance the first stage of its two-part budget package to pay for President Donald Trump's agenda despite Trump throwing his weight behind the House's more comprehensive one-bill plan. In a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, Trump endorsed the House's budget bill, which bolsters funding for the border and national security while simultaneously extending the tax cuts implemented during Trump's first term and slashing trillions in funding for a variety of programs. 'The House Resolution implements my FULL America First Agenda, EVERYTHING, not just parts of it!' Trump posted. MORE: Trump 2nd term live updates He reiterated his belief that there ought to be 'ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL' that comprehensively handles many of his campaign promises in one fell swoop. House Speaker Mike Johnson has backed this strategy from the start. He believes the House bill, which also includes a hike to the federal debt limit that many of his members typically oppose, is robust enough to cull support from the members of his widely divided conference. This is essential because Johnson's razor-thin majority allows for almost no GOP defections. Senate Republicans say they favor that plan, but they're skeptical that it can get done in the timely fashion necessary to deliver Trump early-term wins on border security. 'I prefer what you're doing to what we are doing, but we've got to get it done soon,' said Sen. Lindsey Graham, the Budget Committee chairman. 'Nothing would please me more than Speaker Johnson being able to put together the bill that President Trump wants. I want that to happen. But I cannot sit on the sidelines and not have a Plan B.' Graham's move to advance the Senate bill escalates an ongoing battle between Republicans in the two chambers of Congress who are vying for Trump's approval in the early stages of his administration. Johnson has already called the Senate package a 'non-starter' and has signaled that even if the Senate passes its budget plan, the House will hold off on bringing it up in favor of its own bill. MORE: Trump stokes alarm about view of presidential power with apparent Napoleon reference The Senate plan aims to deliver Trump wins on the border by allocating more funds for his immigration policy. It also beefs up defense spending and makes modifications to energy policy. But unlike the House bill, the Senate plan would take up the debate about extending the Trump tax cuts later and hiking the debt limit to a separate bill to be taken up later this year. Senators believe this strategy allows them to strike quickly to address 'immediate needs' while buying time for a more complex debate about tax policy. Majority Leader John Thune, in remarks on the Senate floor Thursday morning, said Senate Republicans are committed to making Trump's 2017 tax cuts permanent, but said there is still 'substantial work left to do to arrive at a bicameral agreement' on the issue. 'When the President's 'Border Czar' was here last week, he emphasized that the administration cannot sustain its effort to deport criminals here illegally without additional funding and the last thing we want is to delay other parts of the president's agenda like border security as we do the work needed to arrive at a tax agreement that can pass both houses of Congress,' Thune said. 'That's what the Senate is moving forward on a two-part legislative plan to accomplish our and the president's top priorities.' The need to deliver border funding urgently requires swifter action than debate on a tax bill will allow, Republican Whip John Barrasso said. 'President Trump's actions are working. They are working so well that the Trump administration says it is running out of money for deportations. 'Border Czar' Tom Homan told us that. [Homeland Security] Secretary [Kristi] Noem told us that. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told us that. Attorney General Pam Bondi told us that. Senate Republicans will act quickly to get the administration the resources they requested and need,' Barrasso said. MORE: Apprehensions along the southwestern border plummeted in January: CBP Despite Trump's endorsement of the House plan on Wednesday, senators left a closed-door lunch with Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday committed to advancing their proposal. So Thursday evening, senators will participate in a blitz of 10-minute amendment votes called a "Vote-a-rama." This process, which is expected to last through the night, is just the first step in unlocking a fast track budget tool called reconciliation, which allows the Senate to bypass the normal 60-vote threshold to advance tax and budget related provisions. Senate Democrats are committed to opposing the reconciliation bill. 'I think most of us here get that no matter who the president is, our constituents expect us to work for them," said Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., during a floor speech. "They expect us to fight for them, and they expect us to do the hard work of passing laws to make their lives better. People don't send us here to make their lives worse, but that's exactly what Trump and [Elon] Musk are doing -- They are looking at our most pressing problems and making them worse, and this budget proposal will only add fuel to that fire right now.' But Democrats can only stall the bill. If all Republicans hang together, there's nothing Democrats can do to block it. But until House and Senate Republicans get on the same page, tonight's vote-a-rama could prove largely fruitless. Senate GOP to vote on its plan for Trump's agenda despite Trump backing rival House plan originally appeared on
Associated Press
20-02-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Republicans are pursuing separate paths to get Trump's priorities through Congress
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Majority Leader John Thune teed up a vote this week on a budget plan that sets the stage for a massive boost in defense and border security spending, and leaves a looming tax cut fight for later this year. The move is designed to give President Donald Trump an early policy win and put pressure on House Republicans to join rather than pursue a separate, more comprehensive effort that also risks taking far longer to pass, if at all. Trump undercut the Senate GOP's efforts on Wednesday, calling on both chambers to pass the House budget resolution. 'The House Resolution implements my FULL America First Agenda, EVERYTHING, not just parts of it,' Trump wrote on social media. Yet Thune is proceeding as planned, despite Trump's stated preference for the House effort. 'If the House can produce one big beautiful bill, we're prepared to work with them to get that across the finish line, but we believe the president also likes optionality,' Thune said. The resolution is not a bill and does not get signed into law by the president, but its passage unlocks a process that allows Republicans to enact their priorities later this year even if Democrats unanimously oppose it. Here's what to know. What's in the Senate plan? The budget resolution, authored by Sen. Lindsey Graham, the Republican chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, sets the stage for about $342 billion in increased spending on border security, defense and the Coast Guard. Graham said the spending would take place over four years and be paid for with reduced spending elsewhere in the federal government, though the resolution itself does not specify how those cuts would occur. The budget resolution advanced out of committee last week on a party-line vote. It directs the Senate Homeland Security Committee to increase spending by up to $175 billion, the Senate Armed Services Committee to spend up to $150 billion more and the Senate Commerce panel to increase spending by about $20 billion. This is on top of the annual spending that Congress provides through a separate legislative process. 'Build the wall, deport illegal aliens, and create additional detention space so we don't have to release illegal immigrants into the community,' Graham said. 'And God knows the military needs more money in these dangerous times.' What happens this week? The Senate proceeded to Graham's budget plan on Tuesday evening, opening it up to 50 hours of debate. Once the debate time has expired — but before a vote on final passage — senators will hold what's known in Congress as a 'vote-arama.' It's a whirlwind series of votes over several hours in which senators seek to amend the plan. The votes often last into the early morning hours before exhausted lawmakers decide they've had enough and move to a final vote. The amendments often are designed to force lawmakers from the other party to take difficult votes on hot-button issues that could prove difficult to explain in the next election cycle. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said Republicans should 'get ready for a late night and an early morning.' 'We are going to make sure the people back home know that Elon Musk is firing VA doctors and food safety inspectors — for no cause whatsoever — and illegally defunding the programs that Americans care about,' Murray said. A long way to go Once a budget plan is approved, committees would draft legislation consistent with their instructions to find savings or increase spending in programs under their jurisdiction. But the formal work needed to advance those recommendations can't take place until both the House and Senate pass identical budget plans. At some point, Republicans in the House and Senate will have to resolve their differences for them to use the tool that will allow the package to pass with a simple majority in the Senate and sidestep a Democratic filibuster. For now, they are competing with each other to win Trump's favor. Where the House stands The House does have momentum for its efforts after a few weeks of delay. The chamber's Budget panel has advanced its more comprehensive budget plan to the floor on a party-line vote. Speaker Mike Johnson's office said it will come up for a vote in the full chamber next week when the House returns to Washington. Their plan would allow committees to provide for up to $4.5 trillion in tax cuts and $300 billion in new spending. It would also instruct committees to make at least $1.5 trillion in spending reductions elsewhere in the federal government over the next decade. And it would lift the debt ceiling so that the U.S. can borrow and continue paying its bills. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a nonpartisan fiscal watchdog, estimates that the House budget plan would allow for a nearly $4 trillion debt increase over the next decade. Johnson can spare only one defection if Democrats are unanimous in opposing the plan next week, creating a high-wire act for his leadership team. Some Republicans have raised concerns about the level of spending cuts that could occur with programs like Medicaid. But those lawmakers will also feel pressure to help Trump enact his priorities or face his wrath for not going along.
The Guardian
19-02-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Trump blindsides Senate Republicans by endorsing rival House budget plan
Donald Trump has derailed Senate Republicans' budget strategy by endorsing a competing House option, leaving GOP leaders scrambling to save their agenda just weeks ahead of a potential government shutdown. The president's surprise intervention came just hours after Senate Republicans moved to advance their own two-track proposal, as he declared instead that he wants 'ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL' through the House's reconciliation process. 'Unlike the Lindsey Graham version of the very important Legislation currently being discussed, the House Resolution implements my FULL America First Agenda,' Trump posted on Truth Social. Senate majority leader John Thune admitted being blindsided. 'As they say, did not see that one coming,' he told reporters after an emergency leadership meeting on Wednesday.' The announcement forces Senate Republicans to reconsider their carefully planned schedule of votes this week on a slimmer package that was meant to cover defense, border security and energy provisions. The timing is already tight, as Congress is barreling down a 14 March deadline to pass the bill that would avoid a shutdown forcing hundreds of thousands of federal employees to go without pay. Although Republicans control both chambers, the majorities are so thin they will need Democratic votes to pass any funding measure. In the Senate, where Republicans hold 53 seats, at least 60 votes are needed to overcome a filibuster. House Speaker Mike Johnson, working with a slim 218-215 majority, faces similar math problems and internal drama. Johnson immediately claimed victory over Trump's endorsement of the House plan, saying on X that House Republicans are 'working to deliver President Trump's FULL agenda – not just a small part of it'. But his proposal faces resistance from Republicans worried about proposed entitlement cuts – cuts Trump himself rejected on Tuesday on Fox News, saying 'Medicare, Medicaid – none of that stuff is going to be touched'. 'If a bill is put in front of me that guts the benefits my neighbors rely on, I will not vote for it,' freshman Republican congressman Rob Bresnahan said on X. The White House dispatched Vice-President JD Vance to meet Senate Republicans Wednesday afternoon, attempting to smooth tensions as both chambers grapple with how to advance Trump's agenda. But it's clear that some senators will be hard to convince. 'I'm not sure [the House budget could] pass the House or that it could pass the Senate,' Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson told reporters. The House remains in recess until next week, leaving Senate Republicans alone on Capitol Hill to plot their next move.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump throws Senate GOP budget bill in turmoil as Vance heads to Capitol Hill to meet with senators
WASHINGTON (AP) — No sooner had Senate Republicans voted to begin work on $340 billion budget bill focused on funding the White House's mass deportations and border security agenda than President Donald Trump threw it into turmoil. Trump on Wednesday criticized the approach from the Senate Budget Committee chairman, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and sided with the House GOP's broader, if politically difficult, plan that includes $4.5 trillion in tax cuts and other priorities. Senators wanted to address those later, in a second package. Vice President JD Vance was on his way to Capitol Hill to confer privately with Republican senators. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. 'Unlike the Lindsey Graham version of the very important Legislation currently being discussed, the House Resolution implements my FULL America First Agenda, EVERYTHING, not just parts of it!' Trump posted on social media. Trump wants the House's version passed as a way to 'kickstart' the process and "move all of our priorities to the concept of, 'ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL.'' The Senate's Republican leadership is scrambling after being blindsided by the post. "As they say, I did not see that one coming,' said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. Thune had engineered the two-bill approach as a way to deliver an early victory for the White House and had pushed the Senate forward while the House is away on recess this week, saying it was time to act. Thune was meeting privately in his office with Graham. "We're planning to proceed, but obviously we are interested in, and hoping to hear with more clarity where the White House is coming from,' Thune said. The sudden turn of events means more upheaval in the difficult budget process. Republicans have majority control of the House and Senate, but face big hurdles in trying to put the president's agenda into law as Democrats prepare to counter the onslaught of actions from the White House. Late Tuesday, Republicans had pushed ahead on the scaled-back budget bill, on a party-line vote, 50-47, in what was supposed to be the first step in unlocking Trump's campaign promises — tax cuts, energy production and border controls — and dominating the agenda on Capitol Hill. But it also comes as the administration's Department of Government Efficiency effort is slashing costs across government departments, leaving a trail of fired federal workers and dismantling programs on which many Americans depend. Democrats, having floundered amid the initial upheaval coming from the White House, have emerged galvanized as they try to warn the public about what is at stake. "These bills that they have have one purpose — and that is they're trying to give a tax break to their billionaire buddies and have you, the average American person, pay for it,' Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York told The Associated Press. Schumer convened a private call over the weekend with Democratic senators and agreed on a strategy to challenge Republicans for prioritizing tax cuts that primarily flow to the wealthy at the expense of program and service reductions in health care, scientific research, veterans services and elsewhere. 'This is going to be a long, drawn-out fight,' Schumer said. The Senate's budget process begins this week, with an initial 50 hours of debate followed by an expected all-night session with lots of attempts to amend the package. The Republican package would allow $175 billion to be spent on border security, including money for mass deportation operations and building the U.S.-Mexico border wall, in addition to a $150 billion boost to the Pentagon and $20 billion for the Coast Guard. Republicans are determined to push ahead after Trump border czar Tom Homan and top aide Stephen Miller told senators privately last week that they are running short of cash to accomplish the president's immigration priorities. Trump met with Republican senators last month, expressing no preference for one bill or two, but just that Congress 'get the result.' The Senate Budget Committee said its package would cost about $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 it, Republican senators 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. The House GOP bill is multiple times larger, with $4.5 trillion in tax cuts and $1.5 trillion in spending reductions over the decade across Medicaid health care programs, food stamps and other services used by large swaths of the country. The cuts could ultimately grow to $2 trillion to appease hard-right conservatives. The budget plans 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.
