Discussion Thread: US Senate Debates and Considers the Republican Budget Resolution on April 4th, 2025

[u/PoliticsModeratorBot]

News and Analysis

• CBS: Senate Republicans unveil budget resolution key to unlocking Trump agenda (Published two days ago)

• NBC: Senate Republicans vote to advance a massive budget blueprint for Trump's agenda | The Senate voted 52-48 to begin debate on a multitrillion-dollar plan that would cut taxes, boost spending for immigration enforcement and the military and raise the debt limit. (Published yesterday)

• NBC: GOP concerns about tax cut strategy and Medicaid loom over Senate budget

• AP: Republicans moving ahead with Trump’s ‘big’ bill of tax breaks and spending cuts amid tariff uproar

• ABC: Video: Senate Republicans set to push Trump agenda forward with vote-a-rama

• Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget: Senate Budget Could Enable Unprecedented Deficit Increase

Live Updates

Relevant text-based, live update pages are being maintained by the following outlets: NBC, and Politico (soft paywall).

Where to Watch

• PBS NewsHour via YouTube: Senate convenes as Republicans push for Trump’s budget bill of tax and spending cuts

• C-SPAN: U.S. Senate, 2025-04-04 | The Senate is considering a revised version of the 2025 House Republicans' budget resolution.

[u/SUNTAN_1]

The way he talks about tariffs as if they are an infinite money glitch --- "We are gonna charge THEM using these tariffs!" and is so consistent with that messaging as if he almost believes it, is almost just as psycho as "We're building a wall, and Mexico is gonna pay for it!"

Note that the "Mexico is gonna pay for it!" part was a distraction, designed to obfuscate confuse and bamboozle --- because his REAL goal was to be able to get Congress to cough up taxpayer funding for a 300 billion dollar construction project where HE would get to hand-pick and choose all the contractors and subcontractors.

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And now, tariffs. Let's simplify it, with washing machines.

(a) Five million Americans want to buy a washing machine for cleaning their clothes. They could "buy American" for $1200, or buy one imported from China for $600. EVERYONE buys the $600 washing machine.

(b) Trump announces 50 percent tariff on washing machines.

(c) HOME DEPOT, LOWES or whoever sells washing machines, keeps buying washing machines from China, but now sells them for $900 --- still cheaper than an American-made washing machine.

(d) The American Consumer ends up paying the higher price.

[u/EWAINS25 → u/SUNTAN_1]

He does believe it.

People keep trying to ascribe some grand plan to him.

There is none.

[u/TechnicianExtreme200 → u/EWAINS25]

It shouldn't matter WHY he's doing this. If people assume it's just stupidity (the left), or explain it away as part of some benevolent grand plan because they don't want to admit they got conned (the right), then he'll get away with it. And then he'll do more of it and things will keep getting worse. You know, like what happened with Hitler. People need to step up and fight back, not excuse all of these actions as one time fuckups. I believe Elon Musk was actually correct in some sense and leaked a spoiler when he said empathy is a weakness that liberals have: people with empathy let stupidity and incompetence slide easily, because we've all made mistakes, and treat others how we'd treat ourselves.