WASHINGTON − President Donald Trump is trying to blame Democrats as his “big, beautiful bill” appears to be stalled in the Republican-controlled Senate, leaving the second-term president and his GOP allies scrambling to find a way to push forward on campaign promises to eliminate taxes on tips and spend more money on border enforcement.
“The problem we have is that it’s a great bill, it’s a popular bill,” Trump said during a June 27 White House press conference of the sweeping piece of legislation that is not polling well with many Americans. “But we’ll get no Democrats only because they don’t want to vote for Trump.”
Trump has pressed Senate Republicans to stay on his ambitious timeline to complete their work and get it back through the House in time for the measure to be on his desk for signature into law by July 4. But the president and House Speaker Mike Johnson are also acknowledging their immediate ambitions might not become reality amid deep internal GOP policy disputes and complex Senate rules that have sent the mega bill through the legislative shredder.
More: GOP senators negotiate Trump budget bill in hopes of improving its polling
Among the many concerns Republicans are still trying to work through are their own proposed cuts for Medicaid eligibility, which Democrats already see as a winning political message for them in the upcoming 2026 midterm elections where they’re looking to retake majorities in both the House and Senate.
Trump has said previously he wants Congress to pass the sweeping bill and get it to his desk by Independence Day. But for that to happen the Senate still needs to finalize and pass its version, before then sending it back to the GOP-led House to reconcile any differences with their efforts that previously won approval with the slimmest of majorities in May.
As the Senate continues to grapple with concerns including the legislation’s high cost and the Medicaid language, Trump is hedging his own deadline. “It’s important,” but, “it’s not the end-all,” Trump told reporters on June 27.
“We’d like to get it done by that time, if possible,” Trump said.
Further complications have come in the form of Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough’s ruling on what is and is not within the scope of a spending bill.
MacDonough, a nonpartisan official, found several Senate Republicans’ provisions in violation, including attempts to repeal federal food aid for noncitizens, multiple measures softening environmental regulations and deregulation for gun silencers.
“The parliamentarian’s been a little difficult,” Trump said. “I would say that I disagree with the parliamentarian on some things, and on other ways, she’s been fine.”
Trump did not go so far as to call for her termination, though, unlike some Republicans on Capitol Hill.
The president is instead laying the groundwork to pin the blame on his congressional opponents. “The Democrats won’t approve it only because politically it’s so good for the Republicans,” Trump said.
“If I were a Democrat, I would vote for this bill all day long,” he added.
Polling has shown Trump’s bill is not scoring well with in public opinion. Fewer than 30% of voters support the bill in three recent surveys by Pew, Quinnipiac and the Washington Post-Ipsos.
The bill is doubtful to get support from any Senate Democrat, but under special Senate rules, only 51 Republicans are needed to sign-off and avoid a filibuster.
Across Capitol Hill, Speaker Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, said he recognized the deadline for sending the final legislation to Trump could slip beyond their July 4 deadline.
“It’s possible but I don’t want to accept that as an option right now. I’m going to try to push it through,” Johnson told reporters. “I still want to get done by July Fourth.”
Johnson said it would be best if the Senate version stayed “as close as possible” to the House version. He said lawmakers would get three days to review the bill text once the Senate completes it.
“The House will not be jammed by anything,” Johnson said. “I have been doggedly determined to get this done by July 4, as has the president.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump hedges on deadline for mega tax bill to pass Congress
