House Passes 2018 Budget Along Party Lines

The U.S. House of Representatives passed its 2018 budget bill Thursday morning in a vote split along party lines.

The 216-212 vote is a key next step to getting President Donald Trump‘s tax reform legislation passed. All 192 Democrats present voted against the bill along with 20 Republicans.

Democrats have spent weeks demonizing the budget and the tax reform initiative as a benefit for the top 1%.

“This is all about moving the ball forward so we can push through a massive tax cut to the wealthiest Americans with 51 votes in the Senate,” said Rep. John Yarmuth, Kentucky Democrat and ranking member on the House Budget Committee. “That’s what this day is about. That’s what this process is about,” he added.

Republicans tout the budget as the vehicle by which tax cuts and reforms can be passed that will help America’s working families.

“It paves the way for historic tax reform,” House Speaker Paul Ryan said in a floor speech Thursday. “We need to pass this budget so that we can deliver real relief for middle-income families across this country.”

New York and New Jersey Republicans represented a majority of GOP “no” votes as they found the bill’s removal of the State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction objectionable. New York and New Jersey both have excessive state income taxes that are currently subsidized, through SALT, by taxpayers in states with more reasonable rates.

“Why should I vote for something that would end up decimating my district?” Rep. Peter King, (R-NY) said before the vote.

Which Republicans Voted Against the House version of the 2018 Budget Bill?

• Justin Amash – Michigan
• Ken Buck – Colorado
• Jimmy Duncan – Tennessee
• Daniel Donovan – New York
• John Faso – New York
• Brian Fitzpatrick – Pennsylvania
• Matt Gaetz – Florida
• Lynn Jenkins – Kansas
• Walter Jones – North Carolina
• John Katko – New York
• Peter King – New York
• Leonard Lance – New Jersey
• Frank LoBondio – New Jersey
• Tom MacArthur – New Jersey
• Thomas Massie – Kentucky
• Mark Sanford – South Carolina
• Chris Smith – New Jersey
• Elise Stefanik – New York
• Claudia Tenney – New York
• Lee Zeldin – New York

The House version differs from the Senate bill that passed last week which will require a conference committee to reconcile the differences and both chambers will then have to vote on the compromise before it can go to the president for his signature.