Thune: Senate Committed to Delivering on President Trump’s Agenda
“I’m looking forward to taking up our budget resolution in the very near future, so that we can deliver permanent tax relief for Americans, provide certainty to the economy, and make a transformational investment in border, energy, and national security.”
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WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor:
Thune’s remarks below (as delivered):
“Mr. President, work on the president’s nominations continues apace.
“Last week, we confirmed nine members of the president’s administration, including the secretary of the Navy, an assistant attorney general, and deputy secretaries of Treasury, State, and Veterans Affairs.
“The president’s Cabinet secretaries, of course, are all in place.
“And tonight we’ll be voting to invoke cloture on Matthew Whitaker to be United States permanent representative to NATO.
“And I expect to confirm additional nominees this week, as well.
“Mr. President, a huge focus early on in any new Congress with a newly elected president is filling out the president’s administration.
“But we have also been focused on the agenda the president and Republicans were elected to deliver.
“And in the very near future, we will be taking up a budget resolution to lay the groundwork for legislation to make the 2017 tax relief permanent, secure the border, unleash American energy, and provide for our nation’s defense.
“And all of that will be accompanied by substantial savings measures.
“And on the subject of maximizing savings, I just want to be very clear – the House and the Senate are united in aiming to do all we can on this.
“Sure, the instructions we give to our separate committees – who are responsible for finding those savings – may look a little bit different.
“But that’s not because we don’t have a shared commitment to cutting wasteful government spending and saving taxpayer dollars; that’s simply a function of Senate rules.
“In the Senate, if we fail to meet a single savings instruction – even by a dollar – we lose our ability to consider the legislation under reconciliation rules and the simple majority threshold.
“And so we have to be careful not to miss the mark on this and to provide flexibility as we chart our bicameral course.
“But that won’t stop us from maximizing savings.
“Again, on that point, we are committed.
“But back to the bill that we’ll be moving toward.
“As I said, the budget resolution we will take up will lay the groundwork for legislation to make the 2017 tax cuts permanent.
“The 2017 tax relief we passed put more money in American families’ pockets, with the largest proportional share of the tax relief going to the middle class.
“And if we don’t act to extend this relief, American families will be taking home lower paychecks next year.
“And along with the president, Senate Republicans are committed to ensuring that we not only extend this relief, but that we make it permanent.
“Americans should not have to worry about their tax relief expiring every few years.
“And in addition to making this relief permanent, the bill will also, as I said, invest in securing our border, unleashing American energy, and defending our nation.
“After years of chaos at our southern border under President Biden – and after years of deficiencies in our military readiness – it’s time for a serious investment in border and national security.
“As I’ve said before, if we don’t get national security right, the rest, Mr. President, is just conversation.
“And it is past time to address the deficiencies in our military readiness – and ensure that the good work President Trump is doing to secure the border and remove criminals from our streets can continue.
“Mr. President, I’m looking forward to taking up our budget resolution in the very near future, so that we can deliver permanent tax relief for Americans, provide certainty to the economy, and make a transformational investment in border, energy, and national security.
“It’s going to be a great bill.”
Related Issues: Budget, Border Security, Homeland Security, Energy
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