1st LD: U.S. House passes revised Republican tax bill, sending it to Trump

WASHINGTON, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a revised Republican bill, which cleared the Senate Tuesday midnight, to overhaul the U.S. tax code over three decades amid concerns that the change would widen income inequality and swell public debt.

The House voted 224-201 to approve the 1.5-trillion-U.S. dollar package, which would impact nearly every part of the world's largest economy, affecting both large and small businesses, as well as families.

The House passed the tax bill Tuesday afternoon, but the Senate's parliamentarian found several provisions in the bill violated budget rules, forcing lawmakers to strip them out and requiring the House to vote again.

The Senate narrowly passed the revised bill Tuesday midnight with a vote of 51-48. Now the bill, without the support of a single Democrat in Congress, will be sent to President Donald Trump's desk for signature within days and to take effect in 2018.

"By cutting taxes and reforming the broken system, we are now pouring rocket fuel into the engine of our economy," Trump said Wednesday in a statement after the final congressional passage of the tax legislation. Enditem