Senate Republicans are planning to release a revised version of President Donald Trump’s sweeping tax bill.
Trump wants his legislation of tax cuts and spending signed into law by July 4, but GOP senators are concerned about various parts of the legislation, including cuts to Medicaid and changes to food assistance.
The bill has faced criticism from some lawmakers and billionaire Elon Musk, who described it as a “massive spending bill” that increases the federal deficit and “undermines the work” of his Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE.
Republicans to discuss changes to Trump tax bill
Why you should care
Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota and other negotiators will have to find a compromise in the tax bill that can satisfy Congress. The House passed the legislation in May by only one vote.
One Republican senator with knowledge of Thune’s plan told the Hill that Thune will break out sections of the bill to Senate Republicans to make progress on the parts that face opposition, specifically almost $800 billion in spending cuts for Medicaid and $267 billion in deductions to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
The Hill reported that Senate Republicans control 53 seats and can only have three defections and still pass President Donald Trump’s tax bill. Democrats aren’t expected to support the bill, and it is not subject to a filibuster.
According to the Associated Press, Thune will have to convince rural state lawmakers, former governors in the Senate, and Republican moderates, including Maine Sen. Susan Collins and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski. Both have concerns about the Medicaid cuts, among other things.
Collins told the Associated Press that she wants to evaluate how the SNAP changes will affect her state. Murkowski has questioned expiring grants for the Affordable Care Act and whether they might be needed if individuals are removed from Medicaid.
The GOP is uneasy with the latest Congressional Budget Office projection that adjustments to Medicaid and grants under the Affordable Care Act may cause an estimated 10.9 million Americans to lose health care coverage, the Hill reported.
Thune has met in small groups with Republican colleagues to discuss their concerns with Medicaid reforms, and legislators say they’re happy with the level of interest so far.
Senate Republican leaders told the Hill that the House-passed tax bill would lower spending by $1.6 trillion over the next 10 years, but a group of GOP senators want to move that number closer to $2 trillion.
The Source
Information for this story was provided by The Hill and the Associated Press. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.