As Republicans in Congress hash out the rough outlines of a budget that includes significant but still undefined cuts, state and local officials in California are scrambling to assess the potential impact on a vast array of critical programs.
Some Republicans said they were uneasy about voting for a budget resolution that could include cuts to Medicaid and nutrition assistance programs ahead of a House vote Tuesday. Although the budget doesn’t explicitly say Medicaid and other social safety net programs will face cuts, the magnitude of the cuts they’re proposing means that those programs are likely on the table.
Republicans are attempting to use a process known as reconciliation to fund priorities like tax cuts, immigration enforcement and defense. As part of the process, federal lawmakers will pass a framework outlining Congress’ budgetary policies and priorities that does not go into detail for specific programs or agencies.
Once they pass that framework, Congress can then approve a detailed spending and tax bill with only a 51-vote majority in the Senate, bypassing the need for Democratic support to reach a 60-vote threshold.
Republican lawmakers in the House of Representatives passed a resolution Tuesday on a narrow 217-215 vote. It includes $4.5 trillion in tax cuts, $1.5 trillion in spending cuts from the committees that oversee agricultural and health care programs, $110 billion for immigration enforcement, $100 billion in military spending and a $4 trillion increase on how much money the U.S. can borrow.
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