Welcome to The Daily Politic Briefing! Good morning and thank you for joining us on this edition of The Daily Politic Briefing, where we bring you the most significant political developments shaping our nation. Today, we'll dive into the evolving tax policy debate among Republicans, critical budget maneuvers in Congress, and several other pressing issues that are dominating Washington's agenda this week. In today's briefing, we'll cover the growing tensions among Senate Republicans over Trump's tax priorities, the House's budget reconciliation process, a controversial rescissions package, landmark cryptocurrency legislation, RFK Jr.'s vaccine advisory panel shake-up, Medicare reform challenges, and a bold China cybersecurity initiative. Let's begin with the Republican tax policy debate that's heating up on Capitol Hill. Senate Finance Republicans are looking to scale back several key elements of President Trump's tax policy wish list. At issue are tax incentives for research and development, business equipment, and debt interest. House Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith has warned senators against retreating from these priorities. The central question revolves around whether to make certain tax incentives permanent versus implementing Trump's campaign promises like "no taxes on tips," "no taxes on overtime," and tax relief for seniors—measures that would collectively cost around $230 billion according to the Joint Committee on Taxation. Senators Ron Johnson and Thom Tillis are among those pushing for adjustments to these policies. Meanwhile, House Republicans are navigating procedural hurdles in their budget reconciliation process. They're working to modify language in their bill to ensure compliance with Senate reconciliation rules. To avoid a standalone vote on revised measures, they're employing procedural maneuvers within the Rules Committee. House leadership anticipates a report on potential Senate complications, though Speaker Mike Johnson has expressed confidence, saying he doesn't expect "any big surprises." On the fiscal front, House Republican leadership plans to advance the White House's rescissions package through the Rules Committee, with a floor vote likely by Thursday. This package has raised concerns among some members about clawing back already-approved funding, particularly for the PEPFAR program and public media. Johnson has indicated that the White House budget office is working to provide additional details to address skeptics' concerns. In the Senate, Majority Leader John Thune is pushing to pass landmark cryptocurrency legislation this week that would establish new rules for dollar-pegged digital tokens. Republican leaders are still finalizing an amendment deal with Democrats, a process partly delayed by Senator Roger Marshall's efforts to force a vote on legislation targeting credit card swipe fees. A significant controversy is brewing at HHS, where Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is moving to dismiss all current members of the CDC's outside vaccine advisory panel—a group that plays a crucial role in setting vaccine policy. This action contradicts assurances Kennedy made during his confirmation process to maintain the panel "without changes." Senators Bill Cassidy and Susan Collins have voiced concerns about this development. On healthcare policy, Republicans are increasingly doubtful that a bipartisan Medicare proposal will make it into the final megabill package. The proposal, from Senators Cassidy and Merkley, aims to address overpayments to Medicare Advantage plans and could potentially yield significant savings. However, it has sparked concern among Republicans and faced pushback from the insurance industry. Finally, House China Committee Republicans are drafting legislation that would allow American companies to conduct defensive cyber strikes against Chinese hackers targeting the U.S. This "hack back" plan would enable U.S. companies to disable IT systems used by Chinese attackers, though