MSNBC: GOP Tax Bill Passes 51-49 in Senate (UPDATE)

[Akoto]

Last edited Sat Dec 2, 2017, 04:15 AM - Edit history (5)

Source: MSNBC Breaking News

Breaking ongoing news.

The Senate has, as of 1:51am EST this posting, passed the Senate GOP version of tax reform 51 yay to 49 nay. Quite a few complaints that nobody got to look at the actual content of the bill until 11pm tonight. Complaints from Democrats and Republicans both on that note.

The lone GOP no vote was Sen. Bob Corker. Three Republicans would have been needed to stop the bill, as VP Pence was on hand to break any ties.

This is not over because the House has already passed their version of tax reform as of last month, with major and minor differences. They will have to come to a compromise, because the Senate bill essentially kills the individual mandate but the House bill does not. That's just one issue among many. Far from the finish line, though it is a harsh blow.



Read more: Link to source

---

Will update with an article when I have it.

[SamKnause]

1. They are still debating.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

2. Ugghhhh!!

[YessirAtsaFact]

3. This should not be allowed

Nobody has read this except for the writers

It’s flipping insane

[Honeycombe8]

6. In other words, the donors wrote this...you all had better vote for it. Crooked crooks. nt

[FakeNoose]

23. There hasn't been a single hearing, nobody has even read the bill yet

I'm not even sure it's all written. They might just have a lot blank pages in the middle of that thing. It's illegal what they are doing in the Senate right now. Even if this passes I'm sure somebody crafty can sue the Senate & House to get this bill invalidated.

[elleng]

4. No article and no BILL as yet.

[bucolic_frolic]

5. Letting business write the bill

that's what Republicans often do.

What do we pay these people for?

Send them a check, they need a limousine ride

And quick, call Capitol Police! There's grand larceny in progress!

[Kablooie]

7. This will pass but it still has to go through the House and then approved by both.

I expect it to pass but it's not done yet.

I mean this is TAX REDUCTION FOR THE RICH!
This is what Republicans live and die for.
They would rather slaughter their children than let this die.

[aggiesal]

18. We should create the meme that this is ...

"Taxation Without Representation"

We have 2 Dem senators in California.
I'm not being represented in this process.

[wasupaloopa]

27. They will both vote no

[Maraya1969]

55. That is great. I'm going to use it.

[briv1016]

40. Not if the house passes it without amendments.

It is interesting to see what would happen if the Senate Parliamentarian rules that some of these last minute (hand written) changes are not allowed.

[bronxiteforever]

8. GOP Disgrace. Apparently open government is dead in the country n/t

[LuckyLib]

9. Yes, indeed. Republicans fail to use the usual democratic processes in congress, ramming and

rushing through their agenda once again. Can't have any input or negotiation, can we?

[Initech]

10. Fuck the GOP!!!!!!

[Farmer-Rick]

11. Got to pass this crap before the next indictment

Stomp on and destroy America while they still have the chance. I'm sure little Putin and little hands have worked very hard to ruin the US in just this way. The GOP seems to have joined the Putin team.

[susanna]

57. Yes.

They (GOP) knew they have little time left. Indictments will be coming at breakneck speed soon. No time to debate!

The GOP have been craven opportunists for some time, and I'm being kind.

History, on the other hand, will give them their due. Which is zero and approaching minus zero.

They deserve every last bit of it.

[bluestarone]

12. absolute

fucking idiots for sure WHAT A FUCKING DISGRACE

[TomCADem]

13. Yup, Blow Up The Deficit, Cut Benefits and Raise Taxes for Middle Class...

...give away the farm to the rich. So what if millions of people lose access to necessities like healthcare?

Perhaps on Monday, Trump and all the Republican members of Congress will have a celebration to gloat and rub it in, because everyone will just have to take it.

But don't worry, in exchange, Trump's voters do get what they bargained for:

[progree]

14. CNN - updated 805 pm ET - Plenty to read. Example of hand-written edits in the margins

http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/01/politics/senate-vote-still-writing-tax-bill/index.html

Link to tweet

/photo/1

"479 pages were handed to us," Durbin said. "They tell us that some of this has been around for awhile. Some of it's new. They don't tell us which part is new and which part is old," he complained, before picking up a specific page of the legislative text where a staffer had scrawled provisions in cursive.

"We're not even teaching cursive in a lot of schools anymore but someone on the staff knew it to try," Durbin said. "The problem is they wrote it in cursive on the margin here. ... I defy anybody to read it because the problem is when they copied it they chopped off lines so there aren't full sentences."

[progree]

15. "This is so bad. We have just gotten list of amendments to be included in bill ... from lobbyists"

Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri tweeted a photo of amendments that she said would be added to the bill but that she had not seen.

"This is so bad. We have just gotten list of amendments to be included in bill NOT from our R colleagues, but from lobbyists downtown. None of us have seen this list, but lobbyists have it. Need I say more? Disgusting. And we probably will not even be given time to read them."

http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/01/politics/senate-vote-still-writing-tax-bill/index.html

Link to tweet

/photo/1

[progree]

17. Somehow I don't think the resulting 1040 etc. tax forms will fit on a postcard when this is all done

[RussBLib]

28. oh, puhleeze

They are taking away so many deductions and I see Orrin Hatch got this one in:

Hatch #1685 - Deduction for religious instruction tuition

FUCK YOU, HATCH! Taking away so many deductions and passing one for your insane religious friends who want to become priests or somesuch other legitimate child molester? Oh, those poor Christians need help going to religious school! FUCK YOU, HATCH!!!

[progree]

29. Yeah, that one caught my eye too. nm

[Beartracks]

56. "priests or somesuch other legitimate child molester"???

What the fuck.

==================

[OliverQ]

16. I'm so upset about this. I can't believe Collins is going to cave.

Especially since this will destroy Obamacare, which she voted against destroying.

Republicans are so insanely evil. Every single one of them.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

19. I can. She's a piece of dog shit like the rest. nt

[MFM008]

52. She will pay

So will others.

[progree]

62. Sweet Suzy thinks the Republicans are going to bust their asses to stabilize the ACA markets

about as likely as O.J. Simpson dedicating the remainder of his life to finding the real murderer(s).

https://www.yahoo.com/news/senate-tax-bill-accomplishes-major-obamacare-repeal-goal-073356031--business.html

Collins, still opposed to removing the mandate, said she voted for the tax bill on Saturday after being assured by Republican leaders that they will support legislation to prop up U.S. health insurance markets.

What a goddam fucking idiot you are if you believe that

One of the Obamacare stabilization bills, co-authored by Republican Senator Lamar Alexander and Democratic Senator Patty Murray, would restore billions of dollars in subsidies that health insurers use to reduce out-of-pocket costs for low income Americans.

A second, co-authored by Collins and Democratic Senator Bill Nelson, would create an additional $4.5 billion fund to compensate insurers for covering health care for the sickest patients.

No health care expert thinks that is anywhere near enough for that

Still, health policy experts said both of those measures would be needed without a mandate repeal and would not make up for expected premium increases and the rise in the numbers of uninsured Americans.

"Neither of these bills would do anything to offset the increase in uninsured resulting from a mandate repeal," said Larry Levitt, health economist at the Kaiser Family Foundation. "The marketplaces would limp along without a mandate but it's probably not a stable place."

[Rollo]

20. Sanders just ripped the guts out of this fake tax reform... and now...

Schumer is getting down to brass tacks, specifics, about this "monstrosity of a bill"...

[progree]

21. Kurt Eichenwald twitter feed -

https://twitter.com/kurteichenwald?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Enews%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
Samples:

If the @gop believed this tax bill didn’t have to be hidden, they wouldn’t have dropped 500 pages just before the vote, with no hearings and bunch of it handwritten. Government is dead. - Eichenwald

UPDATE: Republicans finally released their 500-page tax cut bill—drafted ENTIRELY behind closed doors. We’re probably voting tonight, but NO ONE has read the bill! Unacceptable. - Sen. Dianne Feinstein

No, I haven’t had time to read the 500-page #GOPTaxScam bill that we’re voting on tonight. I couldn’t read it if I tried – and I did. - Sen. Elizabeth Warren

And being continuously updated as I type this

[RussBLib]

22. This is how our government works?

Revising a huge percentage of the economy with scribbled notes in the margin? If they had any shame, they would be embarrassed.

[Dr_Pretorius]

24. It will shatter the economy, but not to worry!

It will all be Obama'a fault!

[TDale313]

30. And when it does...

They’ll be back to slash social programs and “entitlements”

[SergeStorms]

25. I have no hope....

that this will be defeated. What I can't understand is why the GOP is committing political suicide for this?

Do they really think 'Ol' Liver Spots' Bannon can deliver on his promise to push the right so far right that this will be the denouement of their political grand coup? What do they know that we don't?

[TDale313]

31. Their donors demand this.

It’s that simple.

[Amimnoch]

26. They even refused an amendment to protect Social Security or Medicare/Medicaid!!!

Proposed amendment that any bill that would be proposed in the future that would cut social security, medicare, or medicaid for the purpose of funding the deficit causes of this bill would have to be passed by 60 vote majority, and it was declined down the board by the fucking Republicans.

This shit needs to be in every headline tomorrow. tRumpuplicons have made it clear that SS, medicare, and Medicaid are in the cross-hairs!

[not fooled]

35. Of course they did

because they are doing the bidding of the kochs and the kochs want SS, Medicare, and Medicaid DESTROYED. They--billionaires with inherited wealth--want everyone else to be "free" and "self sufficient." They think of earned benefits as evil big gubmint.

They have staged a coup over the last 30 years--culminating in the 2016 "election"--and are now running the country. Took over the USA without firing a shot.

[Loubee]

32. Cory Gardner has nothing to lose.

He knows the overwhelming majority of his constituents already hate his guts.

[turbinetree]

33. Everyone should remember who was sitting in the senate presidents chambers chair tonight 12/01/2017

for those of you from Alaska on Social Security and Medicare----------------this is your elected bought off corrupt senator------------------who just screwed you and everyone else in this country she has no principles--------------none, she is a LIAR and she was thanked
and she just helped screw everyone.............with the help of 51 of her corrupt fascist supporting republicans

Lisa Murkowski

https://secure.actblue.com/

[L. Coyote]

34. Are the lobbyists allowing senators to see the bill?

[progree]

36. 11:54 PM EST. What's happening

After long delays apparently caused by the need to let the parliamentarian decipher and rule on hand-written changes to the bill, the Senate moved into the ponderous vote-a-rama process (a period of brisk votes on unlimited amendments from either party) as the midnight hour approached, with an assured final vote due to happen whenever amendments–or the endurance of senators–run out.

With Republicans having nailed down the votes they needed for final passage earlier Friday, the late afternoon and early evening were devoted to frantic behind-the-scenes efforts to write up the concessions made to get to 50 votes, ensure they complied with parliamentary rules, and then get them into the vast 479-page substitute amendment which Mitch McConnell will at some point offer (they are initially amending the House bill). As the vote-a-rama was put off again and again, Democrats railed at the slapdash nature of the enterprise, and the apparent appearance of legislative language in the offices of K Street lobbyist before Senators were given a glimpse.

Democratic protests concluded just before McConnell arrived to begin the vote-a-rama as Chuck Schumer offered a motion to adjourn until Monday to give everyone time to read the bill. It went down on a strict party vote; even Bob Corker of Tennessee, who announced earlier he would vote against the bill itself, stuck with the GOP on the procedural vote.

The only moment of drama in the early stages of the highly ritualized vote-a-rama was when Marco Rubio and Mike Lee offered an amendment making the increased child tax credit available to anyone with payroll tax liability, with the cost paid for by a pinch taken from the bill’s lowered corporate tax rate. It had attracted some bipartisan attention. But in the end it was emphatically voted down by a coalition of liberal Democrats who said it did not go far enough and Republicans who didn’t want to annoy their corporate friends and donors to help working people.

etc. http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/12/senate-gop-works-overnight-to-pass-hastily-revised-tax-bill.html

[olddad56]

37. how long before we come to admire how shit like this is done in a country like Russia?

all of this cheap drama and role playing when this tax bill is as crooked as the fucking nazis voting for it, and it is already a done deal.

[progree]

38. Blow by blow, live updates from The Hill

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/362878-live-coverage-senate-holds-tax-reform-vote-a-rama

Latest update as of 12:24 A.M. EST:

12:12 a.m.

Vice President Pence cast a tie breaking vote to pass an amendment from Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) to allow taxpayers to use funds from 529 plans for K-12 education, including home schooling.

A similar provision was also included in the House-passed bill. But Democrats expressed concerns that the measure could hurt public education.

GOP Sens. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Susan Collins (Maine) joined with Democrats in voting against the amendment.

Sigh

[progree]

39. CBO: Tax bill increases deficit by $1.4 trillion 12:22 a.m. The Senate GOP tax plan will increas

CBO: Tax bill increases deficit by $1.4 trillion

12:22 a.m.

The Senate GOP tax plan will increase the deficit by more than $1.4 trillion over a decade, according to a new analysis by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).

The CBO score was released as senators were already voting on amendments to the legislation and were expected to pass the bill in the early morning hours of Saturday.

Blow by blow update http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/362878-live-coverage-senate-holds-tax-reform-vote-a-rama

[Rollo]

41. It looks like by 1:47 ET, the bill will pass...

The Dems appeared to have walked out of the Senate chamber in protest.

[progree]

43. Yup, just heard it -- 51-49.

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/362878-live-coverage-senate-holds-tax-reform-vote-a-rama

[progree]

42. GOP (and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.)) defeats effort to nix ANWR drilling provision

GOP defeats effort to nix ANWR drilling provision

1:25 p.m.

Senate Republicans shot down a Democratic attempt to prevent oil and gas drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).

The amendment from Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) failed to overcome a procedural hurdle. GOP Sen. Susan Collins (Maine) supported the amendment and Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) voted against it.

Included in the Senate tax plan is a provision that would pave the way for drilling in a section of ANWR.

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/362878-live-coverage-senate-holds-tax-reform-vote-a-rama

[Rollo]

44. One GOP defection, not sure which one. Bill passes 51 to 49, with Pence gloating.

[Rollo]

48. The lone GOP no vote was Bob Corker, I think...

Not that it makes much difference. It would have taken three honest GOPpers to vote not, cause Pense was ready to break any tie.

[progree]

61. Yes it was Bob Corker

https://www.yahoo.com/news/senate-gop-hustles-meet-tax-085039276.html

[eggplant]

45. Modern technology allows us to watch the destruction of our country in real time.

We can all vomit as one.

[blue-wave]

46. Not Good

We might be OK for a year or two but this will, at some point in time, enormously hurt the American economy. I hate to be a downer, but this will make the great Republican recession of 2007 look like a party. The poor and middle class will be taken to the cleaners.

[mr_lebowski]

51. They (by that, I mean 'we') don't matter. Media reports that NYSE is 'the economy' ...

And that's all that matters. Already rich (or somewhat rich) people, getting richer.

Average people are meaningless and meant to be exploited, overworked, fleeced. Sucks to be them. They should've 'applied themselves', cause you know ... if EVERYONE just got themselves Doctorates, then EVERYONE could be making 300K+ a year, cause, ya know, there's enough money for that in the world, and prices wouldn't rise accordingly with incomes if they did do that.

Fact is, EVERYone in the USA (hell, the WORLD) could just be super-rich if they 'worked harder', and 'started a business', so it's every individual's own 'fault' if they're not super-wealthy.

Cause, you know, the Crops would pick themselves, livestock would slaughter themselves and deliver themselves to market, the floors at the school would sweep themselves, the community would police itself, kids would teach themselves ... you know ... like magic.

Obviously, there's PLENTY enough resources for every single person to be rich, own a few yachts, mansions, etc, if you just WORKED HARDER! So ... your fault if you don't!

[Rollo]

58. When less than 1/3 of corporations say they'll use proceeds from tax breaks to hire workers,

and/or pay them better, you know this is just another cynical redistribution of wealth - from the pockets of the poor and middle class to those of the wealthy.

It's the latest in a long line of conservative con jobs.

Most corps say they will use the tax breaks to hand out to investors - not workers - in the form of dividends or stock buy-backs that usually boost the price of the stock for shareholders. And since the upper managment of many companies are major shareholders, they reap the benefits.

It's a travesty.

[spiderpig]

49. I've never voted Republican in 45 years

but I've held out hope for McCain, Collins and Murkowski.

Not anymore. You should be ashamed.

(Pausing to add Flake. Didn't he drink the FlavorAid too?)

[progree]

60. I still have a lot of faith in Susan Collins

:dripping sarcasm:

Collins, still opposed to removing the mandate, said she voted for the tax bill on Saturday after being assured by Republican leaders that they will support legislation to prop up U.S. health insurance markets.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/senate-tax-bill-accomplishes-major-obamacare-repeal-goal-073356031--business.html

What a goddam fucking idiot is she really believes that

[RealityChik]

50. From this day forward...

If we don't start obsessing over election integrity and protecting the vote, WE'RE DOOMED!

We have a whole lotta Republican Congressional careers to kill by next November. So let's roll up our sleeves and get to work!

[woodsprite]

65. Yup! We need to sift the dirt on each of these

Assholes if they’re up for re-election, and on their potential replacements on the Repub ticket if they’re not. How many have Russian contacts and/or investments in their background, how many dand how do they benefit from this, what have they done to their state/constituents by this. Tie them in any way possible to the Trump titanic so they go down with the ship.

None should be able to keep their spots. Let’s see that they are either kicked to the streets or in a jail cell by the next election.

[world wide wally]

53. FER

Fuck every republican

[Dopers_Greed]

54. An absolute disgrace

This was not a "tax reform" bill.

It was an "America fire sale" bill.

[bobGandolf]

59. I hope.....

they all get defeated for supporting the tax bill.

[DeminPennswoods]

63. Not 1 Dem voted for it

This is how bad the bill is. Conservative Ds like Manchin, McCaskill, Donnelly, etc, could usually be counted on to vote for tax cuts because they're popular policies. But last night not a single one of them voted for this piece of legislation. It is so bad, these Ds are not even scared their constituents might vote against them.

[nitpicker]

64. From The Hill

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/362891-senate-passes-tax-overhaul-securing-major-victory

Senate passes tax overhaul, securing major GOP victory

By Jordain Carney and Naomi Jagoda - 12/02/17 01:51 AM EST

The Senate passed legislation to overhaul the tax code early Saturday morning, handing Republicans a badly needed legislative and political victory. Senators voted 51-49 to pass the plan, capping off days of debate and hand wringing as leadership worked frantically behind the scenes to win over holdouts and get the proposal in line with the chamber’s rules. Republican Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) bucked party leadership and voted against the plan amid lingering concerns over the impact on the deficit. No Democratic senator supported the legislation, with Democrats quickly leaving the chamber after voting no.
(snip)

The bill would lower tax rates for individuals through 2025 and permanently cut the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 20 percent. The bill’s tax cuts for individuals are temporary in order to comply with budget rules that the measure can’t add to the deficit after 10 years. The bill would also repeal ObamaCare’s individual mandate, a priority for President Trump and many Republicans, and open up a section of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) for drilling.
(snip)

Passage of the tax plan became clear earlier Friday when Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) gave leadership their 50th vote for the plan. The Arizona Republican, who is retiring after 2018, said that in addition to getting rid of a “budget gimmick” relating to the full expensing of capital investments that he had also gotten a commitment on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), a moderate who voted against the GOP’s ObamaCare repeal efforts, also voted in favor of the tax bill after getting several of her amendments into the bill, including the restoration of a $10,000 deduction for property taxes and a lower threshold for deducting medical expenses. "I will cast my vote in support of the Senate tax reform bill. As revised, this bill will provide much-needed tax relief and simplification for lower- and middle-income families, while spurring the creation of good jobs and greater economic growth," Collins said.

To pay for the last-minute changes, Republicans made changes including restoring the alternative minimum tax in the bill, but raising the exemption amounts, and increasing rates for the repatriation of foreign earnings currently held overseas.
(snip)

Democrats warned that the bill would put a hole in the deficit, and mostly benefit wealthy individuals and businesses at the expense of the middle class. “All of the claims that tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations will pay for themselves were not correct. It’s time for my Republican friends to admit their error and come clean with the American people,” said Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer.
(snip)

Still, a Democratic amendment did pass striking a provision that would have allowed colleges that don’t take federal funding to be exempt from an endowment tax. Democrats argued that the provision would have primarily benefited Hillsdale College, a conservative college in Michigan.
(snip)

But an amendment from Cruz to allow taxpayers to use funds from 529 plans for K-12 education, including home schooling, was added to the bill after Pence was called in to break a tie.
(swnip)

[bucolic_frolic]

66. Let the Recession begin!

Stop spending. Return your Christmas presents. Hunker down. GOP Grand Larceny has stolen your future!

[FailureToCommunicate]

67. But we DON'T feel fine...

[Mendocino]

68. In other news

the House passed a bill to open up sulfide mining to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in Minnesota.