House Republicans are in a frenzy trying to pass a huge bill for President Donald Trump’s agenda, but their Senate pals are already raising red flags. Senator John Hoeven from North Dakota straight up said that the House’s bill won’t cut it in the Senate as it stands. He’s like, “Nope, gonna need some changes. We agree on some stuff, but yeah, changes are coming.”
It’s no shocker that Senate Republicans want to put their own stamp on the multi-trillion dollar package. They’re eyeing various parts of the House bill for tweaks, from Medicaid worries to clean energy funding to spectrum policy and the overall deficit. Senator Ron Johnson from Wisconsin is already against the House bill, saying it’ll blow up the budget deficit by $4 trillion. Ouch. He’s like, “This bill ain’t gonna balance the budget, no way. We need to cut spending a lot more.”
With only 53 Republican senators, they can’t afford to lose more than three votes or the bill tanks. And they’ve already lost Senator Rand Paul, who wants even bigger cuts. Democrats are also giving them a hard time about slashing energy funding in the Inflation Reduction Act. Senator Lisa Murkowski from Alaska is leading the charge against axing clean energy tax credits, warning it’ll mess with the energy sector and the economy. The House committee is targeting electric vehicle subsidies and other clean energy incentives, but Senate Republicans like Murkowski, John Curtis, Thom Tillis, and Jerry Moran are urging caution.
Senator Josh Hawley from Missouri is sounding the alarm on Medicaid cuts in the House bill, worried about the impact on rural hospitals in his state. He’s like, “I’m not cool with cutting Medicaid benefits. We can’t let rural hospitals go under.” He’s joined by Senators Murkowski and Susan Collins from Maine, who are also wary of Medicaid cuts. There’s also pushback on provisions in the House bill dealing with spectrum policy and federal IT systems. Senators Mike Rounds and Deb Fischer are calling for changes to beef up these policies.
Speaker Mike Johnson is hoping to push the bill through the House Budget Committee soon, with some tweaks, before Memorial Day. But Senator Thom Tillis, who’s up for re-election next year, says the Senate will need to review the House bill’s language on Medicaid cuts and clean energy funding. He’s not thrilled about the House bill’s plan to raise the cap on state and local tax deductions, which mainly benefits high-tax states. Tillis is like, “We’ll need to think about this whole tax deduction thing.”
Looks like the Senate Republicans are gearing up for a showdown with the House over this massive bill. With so many concerns and changes on the table, it’s anyone’s guess how this will play out in the end. But one thing’s for sure: the Senate ain’t gonna rubber-stamp the House bill without a fight.
