SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
President Trump's tax and spending bill appear to have hit a snag this week as senators changed a key provision of the bill that was passed by the House over a month ago. Still, the Senate plans to start the vote on the bill today. NPR's Ron Elving joins us. Ron, thanks so much for being with us.
RON ELVING, BYLINE: Good to be with you, Scott.
SIMON: Senate Republicans racing to rewrite some provisions in the president's spending bill in advance of the vote. What can you tell us about those?
ELVING: It looked like a tough week for the bill because the Senate parliamentarians stripped away a number of provisions Republicans wanted. But they did not meet the rules test for legislation to pass by simple majority, and every change to the bill puts it at risk because it's such a delicate balance. At base, though, you know, it's an extension of the big tax cuts from Trump's first term. That loss of revenue has to be at least partially offset. So Republicans have cut back food stamps and Medicaid benefits. Some senators say that's a red line for them.
But also this week, the Senate bill got a better-looking bottom line, and The Washington Post is reporting that the improvement comes from an accounting change that allows them to estimate a smaller impact on the deficit and long-term national debt. But at the same time, there are new tax cuts in the bill that also divide Republicans between the House and Senate, so they may not be out of the woods yet.
SIMON: Senate also voted on Friday against a bid to block the president from using further military force against Iran. Democratic Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia had brought the measure under the War Powers Act just before President Trump decided to bomb Iran last week. Tell us about that vote.
ELVING: Under the War Powers Act of 1973, a president who wants to mount an attack on another country is required to get Congress onboard - either with an outright declaration of war or something called an AUMF. That stands for authorization for the use of military force. Congress did that for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, but there are those who say presidents should not need to have this approval, but the War Powers Act itself is unconstitutional, and that is an argument we've been having for over half a century. Last night, the vote was 53 to 47 against the resolution. That means, of course, a green light for President Trump. There was one Democrat among the majority vote and one Republican with the minority.
SIMON: Iran's supreme leader, the Ayatollah Khamenei, warned against more U.S. strikes on his country, said that Iran had won the war against Israel. President Trump, who has also been declaring the strikes he ordered on Iran as a resounding success, took issue with that, saying, quote, that they "got beat to hell." Where is the truth between these two declarations?
ELVING: There is a reality on the ground. Iran's nuke program is either obliterated - as Trump keeps saying - or it still exists. And if it exists, it may conceivably renew itself and go forward. Now, as I say, Trump has been insisting on his version all week, but various independent experts and even briefing officials from within his own administration have been far more nuanced in their assessment. So at this point, it's safer to say, we don't know.
SIMON: Truth Social on Friday, President Trump said the U.S. is ending all trade negotiations with Canada and that tariffs levied by the U.S. in response will be announced within a week. This is Canada, our neighbor. What's going on?
ELVING: The immediate spark was Canada instituting a 3% tax on the revenue that tech companies get from Canadian customers. Now, Trump has taken up the cudgels on behalf of Big Tech, and he's been consistently hostile toward Canada, which he says should just be part of the United States.
As for the U.S. economy, there are mixed signals - some confusing and sometimes uncertain. On Friday, the S&P 500 closed at a record high. It's been a very strong week for stocks. Yet overall growth remains weak, and there may, in fact, not be any growth at all this quarter. The Federal Reserve board chairman says Trump's tariffs are creating a lot of uncertainty in the economy, and polls show consumers agree.
ELVING: NPR's Ron Elving. Always good to speak with you. Thanks so much.
SIMON: Good to be with you, Scott. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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