Measuring The Cost Of Extending Trump's Tax Cuts Becomes A Flashpoint In Congress

An obscure but consequential bookkeeping matter has become the latest flashpoint in Congress as Republicans labor to enact President Donald Trump's sprawling tax cut agenda.

Senate Republicans are looking to change how extending many of Trump's 2017 tax cuts would be scored when it comes to future federal deficits. The Congressional Budget Office has projected that extending the cuts would increase deficits by nearly 4 trillion over the coming decade.

Democrats accuse Republicans of violating Senate norms with the move. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer , D-N.Y., says Republicans are going "nuclear," blowing up the institution's rules.

The debate carries major ramifications for Trump's agenda and the country at large, with policy decisions in the balance that could shape America's economic and budgetary outlook for years to come.

So what is the dispute all about?