WASHINGTON — Republicans have pushed an election-year $3.5 trillion budget through a divided House that showcases their plans for trimming federal deficits and contrasts sharply with how President Barack Obama and Democrats would tackle the nation’s fiscal problems.
The GOP package would revamp Medicare, slice everything from food stamps to transportation and reject Obama’s call for higher taxes on the rich. It envisions collapsing the six different income tax rates into just two, with a top rate of 25 percent compared with today’s 35 percent. It would also eliminate unspecified tax breaks.
The House approved the measure today by a near party-line 228-191 vote.
Obama and Democrats prefer raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans and on oil companies, boosting funds for roads and schools and culling modest savings from domestic programs.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.