House GOP eyes budget passage that is key to tax debate

WASHINGTON (AP) – Republicans are focused on cutting taxes instead of deficits as they look to power a $4.1 billion budget plan through the House on Thursday.

The 2018 House GOP budget promises deep cuts to social programs and Cabinet agency budgets but its chief purpose is to set the stage for action later this year on a comprehensive Republican overhaul of the U.S. tax code that is the party’s top political priority as well as a longtime policy dream of key leaders like Speaker Paul Ryan.

The plan calls for more than $5 trillion in spending cuts over the coming decade, including a plan to turn Medicare into a voucher-like program for future retirees, slash Medicaid by about $1 trillion over the coming decade, and repeal the “Obamacare” health law.

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