Washington — Republicans’ goal of sending President Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” to his desk within the next week appears to be on shaky ground as the legislation runs into obstacles in the Senate, with changes that risk bleeding GOP support in the House.
A day after Mr. Trump hosted an event at the White House to pressure lawmakers to pass the bill that includes tax cuts and funding for his border and national security priorities, the president signaled he’s open to Republicans’ self-imposed deadline slipping past July 4.
“It’s important, it’s not the end-all,” Mr. Trump told reporters Friday about the deadline. “We’d like to get it done by that time, if possible.”
Later in the day, Mr. Trump changed the goal posts again, posting on Truth Social that it “must be ready to send it to my desk before July 4th.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, also acknowledged the date may slide past the holiday, but said “I don’t want to even accept that as an option right now.”
“We’ll see,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a South Dakota, said Friday afternoon when asked if Mr. Trump’s initial comments on the timeline bought him more time to get the package through the Senate.
Senators expect to begin voting on the bill Saturday, but have yet to release the final legislative text. The parliamentarian is continuing to determine which provisions comport with the rules governing the reconciliation process that allow Republicans to pass it with a simple majority.
“That’s aspirational,” Thune said about holding the first test vote midday Saturday, noting that they are still waiting on the parliamentarian to advise on a number of issues.
The Senate leader also wasn’t certain whether he had the votes to advance the legislation.
“We’ll find out tomorrow,” Thune said.
House Democratic leadership issued guidance to members that votes are not expected over the weekend in the lower chamber and members would receive 48 hours notice before any potential votes next week.
“We can’t make any of these final decisions until we see their bill,” said Johnson. “I’m going to give all of my members plenty of time to digest that. The House will not be jammed by anything. I made that commitment.”
Johnson said members would have 72 hours to review the legislation before a vote.
The Senate parliamentarian’s guidance has delivered several blows to key GOP provisions, including an effort to exclude undocumented immigrants from receiving Medicaid benefits and a plan to lower provider taxes, which states use to help fund their portion of Medicaid costs.
Republicans have already struggled to reach a consensus on the provider tax as a handful of senators have expressed concern about the effects it could have on rural hospitals.
Other recent ruled-out provisions include rolling back regulations on gun silencers, a religious carveout from an expansion of the college endowment tax, a $1,000 fee for anyone applying for asylum and fees on diversity immigrant visas.
But Republicans can rework provisions that violate the rules and go back to the parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough, with revised language.
One such provision that received a green light from MacDonough was a revised plan to push some of the costs of food assistance benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program onto states. The benefits are currently funded by the federal government. The revision gives states more flexibility in calculating what their cost share requirement will be beginning in 2028.
The parliamentarian also approved a revision on a proposal on a 10-year moratorium on state regulations on artificial intelligence. The updated provision provides federal aid to states as long as they do not regulate AI. According to Democrats on the Senate Budget Committee, the parliamentarian determined that the provision is in compliance “as long as the conditions only apply to the new $500 million provided by the reconciliation bill.”
Meanwhile, House Republicans have drawn red lines on issues including the state and local tax deduction, known as SALT, and clean energy tax credits. Blue-state Republicans threatened to withhold their support for the bill before it passed the House in May if the SALT cap was not increased from $10,000. They ultimately reached an agreement with leadership to increase the deduction to $40,000.
Johnson said he believed the blue-state Republicans would ultimately get on board with a proposal that would set the cap at $40,000 for five years and then revert back to $10,000.
Republican Rep. Nick LaLota of New York said Friday he hasn’t “seen a deal to which I can say yes.”
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