The US leader stood Wednesday on the brink of his first major legislative win, with lawmakers poised to give final approval to the most sweeping tax cuts in a generation.
“We had a historic victory for the American people,” Trump told reporters in a celebratory address from the White House Cabinet Room.
“We got it done,” he added, thanking the Republican leaders in Congress, Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan, by name. “We have a tremendous amount of talent.”
After concluding his remarks, Trump invited his Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson to say a prayer for the assembled reporters and cabinet members — during which Carson notably cited concerns about the national debt.
Eyeing the most important legislative victory in the 11 months since his inauguration — after the stinging failure to repeal his predecessor’s health care law — Trump has demanded the bill reach his desk by Christmas.
The Senate passed the Republican bill in the wee hours and the House — which already approved it on Tuesday — was scheduled for a technical re-vote on the $1.5 trillion due to a procedural snag.
The deepest rewrite of the US tax code in three decades provides dramatic tax breaks to corporations, and families at all income levels will see their tax drop — in what Republicans hope will play to their advantage in next year’s mid-term elections.
The tax plan also takes a key step towards dismantling Barack Obama’s health reforms, by scrapping the individual mandate that requires nearly all Americans to have health insurance or pay a fine.
“We have essentially repealed Obamacare and we will come up with something much better,” Trump declared.
Earlier Trump had tweeted out his praise for Senate Majority leader McConnell, congratulating him on a “fantastic job both strategically & politically on the passing in the Senate of the MASSIVE TAX CUT & Reform Bill.”
“I could have not asked for a better or more talented partner. Our team will go onto many more VICTORIES!”
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