Trump budget only an opening gambit

The White House budget proposal for the 2018 fiscal year, which incorporates severe cuts to non-defence discretionary spending and entitlement spending, is never going to pass the Senate, which requires the support of some Democrats to reach a filibuster-proof majority. Without a budget for the next fiscal year, Republicans won’t be able to move ahead with tax cuts, which they plan to pass as a reconciliation to that 2018 budget, since that only requires a simple 51 vote Senate majority.