The U.S. Senate passes the Republican budget blueprint, advancing Trump's tax cut agenda

The U.S. Senate passed the Republican budget blueprint last Saturday, aimed at extending President Trump's tax cuts worth trillions of dollars in 2017 and significantly reducing government spending. The Senate approved the "budget reconciliation" measure by a vote of 51:48, which will allow Republicans to bypass the filibuster in the Senate that requires 60 votes, and can pass Trump's tax, border security and military priorities later this year without Democratic support. The bill will be submitted to the Republican-led House of Representatives, which is expected to review it this week. Non-partisan analysts say that if Trump's agenda is passed, it will add about $5.7 trillion to federal government debt over the next decade. Senate Republicans believe that this measure costs $1.5 trillion and argue that the impact of extending existing tax policies due to expire at the end of this year should not be included in its cost.