NPR

Here's What's In The House Republican Budget (And Why It Matters)

The House budget slashes safety net spending and boosts military spending, but arguably the most important thing it does is serve as a vehicle for tax overhaul.
Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, R-Wis., (center) and House Republicans released a fiscal year 2018 budget that would increase military spending and cut other discretionary spending. / Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

The House budget plan would slash spending by $5.4 trillion over 10 years, including more than $4 trillion in cuts to mandatory spending like Medicaid and Medicare, while ramping up defense spending.

It's true that budgets are often called "political documents" — which is to say that they are more statements of priority than exact plans of how every dollar should be spent. But this , released Tuesday, could also allow Republicans to pass one of their big-ticket items — tax overhaul — via reconciliation. That's the

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