US House OKs tax overhaul, but procedural snag forces new vote
Washington : Congressional Republicans hit a last-minute snag on Tuesday in their drive to pass the biggest US tax overhaul in 30 years, requiring them to hold another vote on Wednesday and delaying what was still likely to be their first major legislative win under President Donald Trump.
The Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed the tax package on Tuesday afternoon and sent it to the Republican-led Senate. But a staff official there ruled that three provisions of the House bill did not comply with the Senate’s complex rules, said Independent Senator Bernie Sanders.
As of early evening, the plan was for the Senate to delete the three offending provisions and vote on the bill. If approved, as widely expected, the altered bill would be sent back to the House for another vote on Wednesday. Final approval there would send the bill to Trump to sign into law.
Democrats seized on the embarrassing stumble as evidence of the Republicans’ rushed, secretive development of the bill.
‘The House revote is the latest evidence of just how shoddily written the GOP tax scam really is,’ House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said in a statement.
The problematic provisions deal with using educational savings accounts for home schooling and with private university endowments. The Senate parliamentarian disqualified them on procedural grounds, throwing a wrench into what would have been a day of celebration for Republicans and for Trump.
‘Listen, people screw up. A member of the staff screwed up. It’s not the end of Western civilization. We have the votes today; we’ll have them tomorrow,’ Republican Senator John Kennedy told MSNBC on Tuesday evening.
White House legislative affairs director Marc Short, commenting on the need for a House revote, said: ‘I don’t think it’s that uncommon for a big piece of legislation like this.’