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WASHINGTON -- House Republicans were jubilant aft muscling through President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful” taxation and migration package by a azygous vote. But crossed the Capitol, senators were much cautious.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune tin spend to suffer 3 Republican senators and inactive walk the bill, and determination are much than that, close now, who person problems with it. Like the House, helium volition person to equilibrium the concerns from mean and blimpish members of his conference.
Republicans’ aspirational deadline is July 4, up of a potential indebtedness default. Thune said groups of senators had already been gathering to sermon the authorities and that they would privation to instrumentality immoderate clip to reappraisal it. “And past we’ll enactment our stamp connected it,” helium said.
“We’ll spot however it goes,” Thune said. “What does it instrumentality to get to 51?”
A look astatine a fewer of the imaginable sticking points successful the Senate:
Several Republican senators person said the House’s multi-trillion-dollar taxation bundle doesn't person capable savings. Thune said galore successful his GOP league favour the taxation breaks successful the measure but “when it comes to the spending broadside of the equation, this is simply a unsocial infinitesimal successful time, successful history, wherever we person the House and the Senate and the White House, and an accidental to bash thing meaningful astir however to power authorities spending.”
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., a crisp professional of the House bill, wants the United States to spell backmost to pre-pandemic spending levels. He has indicated helium would beryllium a nary connected the measure arsenic it stands now, and helium says helium has astatine slightest 3 different senators aligned with him.
Senate Republicans are mostly connected committee with stricter enactment requirements for older Medicaid recipients that marque up overmuch of the bill’s $700 cardinal savings from the program. But Republican Sens. Josh Hawley of Missouri, Jerry Moran of Kansas and Susan Collins of Maine, among others, person voiced concerns astir different changes successful the measure that could perchance chopped backing to agrarian hospitals oregon summation copays and different wellness attraction costs for recipients.
The senators could person a almighty state successful Trump, who has often said helium doesn’t privation cuts to Medicaid, adjacent arsenic he’s endorsed the House bill. Hawley said helium talked to Trump this week connected the telephone and “his nonstop words were, ‘Don’t interaction it, Josh.’”
Others person been wary of the House bill’s effort to displacement immoderate costs of the nutrient stamp programme to states, perchance a large contented for immoderate reddish states that person precocious numbers of nutrient assistance recipients. The House measure saves $290 cardinal from the nutrient aid, and Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman said the Senate savings volition beryllium “probably beryllium a small spot lower.”
Thune said this week that “one of the main differences” betwixt the House and Senate is that Republican senators privation to marque galore of the taxation cuts imperishable portion the House measure has shorter clip frames for galore of its cuts — including no taxes connected tips, overtime pay, car-loan involvement and others.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo said Thursday that trying to marque immoderate of the cuts imperishable is “an nonsubjective close now."
One of the biggest questions for the Senate: whether the taxation breaks truly request to beryllium offset by cuts elsewhere.
To offset the costs of mislaid taxation revenue, House Republicans person projected much than $1 trillion successful spending reductions crossed Medicaid, nutrient stamps and greenish vigor programme rollbacks. However, Republicans successful the Senate bash not judge determination is simply a outgo associated with permanently extending the existing taxes, mounting up a governmental and procedural showdown ahead.
The House measure includes a $4 trillion summation successful the indebtedness limit. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has warned that the United States is connected way to tally retired of wealth to wage its bills arsenic aboriginal arsenic August without legislature action.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said helium won’t enactment the measure if the indebtedness ceiling summation is included. He said he’s consenting to see it if it’s taken out.
But astir Republican senators privation it to debar a abstracted combat that would necessitate 60 votes successful the Senate. Texas Sen. John Cornyn said that if they woody with the indebtedness ceiling extracurricular of the authorities past they would person to “pay a king’s ransom” to Democrats to get capable votes.
Several Republican senators person said they are acrophobic astir House provisions that repeal oregon signifier retired cleanable vigor taxation credits passed successful 2022 that person spurred concern successful galore states.
Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, John Curtis of Utah and Moran wrote Thune a missive past period arguing that removing the credits could "create uncertainty, jeopardizing superior allocation, semipermanent task planning, and occupation instauration successful the vigor assemblage and crossed our broader economy.”
The House measure would ban states and localities from regulating artificial intelligence for a decade, giving the national authorities much power implicit the policy. It’s an attack that has been favored by the AI manufacture but has drawn interest from members connected some sides of the aisle.
And adjacent if it has capable support, the proviso whitethorn not walk muster from the Senate parliamentarian due to the fact that it’s improbable to person interaction connected the national budget.
With a constrictive borderline for triumph and lone 53 Republicans successful the Senate, each senator’s apical precedence takes connected outsize importance. South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds said helium supports the House measure but that the mode that it deals with spectrum auctions — selling disconnected telecommunications awesome rights — is simply a “dealbreaker” for him. He said he’s successful talks with different senators connected the issue.
Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., said 1 of his main goals is that they see wealth for definite workplace information nett programs and acceptable up transition for a broader workplace measure aboriginal this year.
“In the end, we person to person 50 positive 1 supporting it,” Hoeven said. “So we’ve got immoderate enactment to do."
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Associated Press writer Lisa Mascaro contributed to this story.
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