WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday voted to pass a budget blueprint setting the stage for legislation later this year that could make expiring portions of President Donald Trump’s 2017 tax cuts permanent.

The 216-214 vote cleared the way for Republicans in the House and Senate to work on specific tax-cut and spending-cut legislation that could take months to complete.

(Reporting by Richard Cowan and Katharine Jackson)