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A4 U.S. NEWS
Friday 27 OctOber 2017
House backs $4T budget, faces challenges on Trump tax plan

By ANDREW TAYLOR on health care. the state and local tax de-
Associated Press The goal is a full rewrite of duction.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Re- the inefficient, loophole- “This isn’t over,” said Rep.
publicans powered a $4 laden tax code in hopes of Tom MacArthur, R-N.J.,
trillion budget through the lower rates for corporations who opposed the budget
House on Thursday by a and other businesses and a after voting for it earlier this
razor-thin margin, a close burst of economic growth. month. House Speaker Paul
vote underscoring the dif- But evidence is growing Ryan, R-Wis., said concerns
ficulties that lie ahead in that some of their hoped- by lawmakers such as Ma-
delivering President Don- for bold steps — such as cArthur about the deduc-
ald Trump’s promise to cuts eliminating the deduction tion would be addressed
taxes. for state and local taxes in coming days, and it was
For now, Republicans side- — will be replaced by half- the topic of a post-vote
stepped divisions within measures dictated by poli- meeting that included top
the party by voting 216-212 tics and a narrow margin GOP leaders.
to permit them to begin for error. “We stood firm ... to let
work on a $1.5 trillion tax House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady, GOP leaders scrambled in them know we’re not kid-
cut without fear of block- R-Texas, whose panel is charged with writing tax law, pauses for recent days to overcome ding,” said Rep. John Kat-
ing tactics by Democrats. reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2017. resistance from House con- ko, R-N.Y., as he exited the
The legislative landscape (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) servatives unhappy about session.
is strewn with land mines, on the GOP agenda and midterm elections. deficits and debt, as well as The Senate passed the
however, as GOP tax-writ- would be Trump’s first big Republicans view passage opposition by lawmakers budget measure last week
ers pick winners and los- win in Congress. Republi- of the upcoming tax mea- from high-tax states upset and the House endorsed
ers among interest groups, cans hope it would provide sure as a once-in-a-gener- about plans to eliminate it without changes, a step
business sectors and rank- a much-needed jolt for the ation opportunity, and its the state and local tax de- designed to allow Repub-
and-file voters. party’s political fortunes importance has only grown duction. licans to move quickly to
The tax bill is the top item in advance of next year’s since the party’s debacle That could mean higher the tax measure in hopes of
taxes for many middle- passing it into law this year.
class earners, and top Re- House and Senate leaders
publicans like Speaker Paul want to pass companion
Ryan of Wisconsin promise measures before Thanks-
a compromise that won’t giving with a final compro-
be as costly to middle-class mise coming before year’s
taxpayers. end.
Joining all Democrats in op- Ways and Means Commit-
posing the measure were tee Chairman Kevin Brady,
20 Republicans, a mix of R-Texas, said immediately
spending hawks and cen- after the vote that he’ll re-
trists. More than half come lease the tax measure on
from New York and New Nov. 1 and that a panel
Jersey and vehemently re- vote is expected the week
ject any effort to roll back of Nov. 6.q

Democrats condemn proposed
fee hikes for US national parks

By MATTHEW DALY put off for years. Sena-
Associated Press tors said the plan would
WASHINGTON (AP) — exclude many Americans
Democratic senators on from enjoying national
Thursday criticized a Na- parks. Sen. Maria Cantwell
tional Park Service plan to of Washington state and
impose steep increases in other Democrats said the
entrance fees at 17 of its proposal is especially egre-
most popular parks, includ- gious because the Trump
ing the Grand Canyon, administration is recom-
Yosemite, Yellowstone and mending severe budget
Zion, calling the proposed cuts for the park service.
rates “arbitrary and unjus- Claims that the increased
tifiable.” fees are needed to reduce
Under a plan announced the maintenance backlog
this week, visitors to many are “undercut by the ad-
national parks would be ministration’s budget pro-
charged $70 per vehicle posal to cut” park service
during the peak summer operations by $200 million,
season, up from $25 or $30 including a $93 million cut
per vehicle now. to facility operations and
Officials say the higher fees maintenance, the senators
are needed to address an wrote.
$11 billion backlog of main- The proposal would not af-
tenance and infrastructure fect several free weekends
projects that have been and holidays.q