WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate is going through overnight, and the meeting has dragged into Tuesday, with Republican leaders buying time looking for ways to support President Donald Trump’s massive taxes and tax cuts, while reducing the proposed amendment, primarily by Democrats trying to beat the program.
The final match was not seen immediately. South Dakota Senate Majority Leader John Thune is on the way to a last-minute deal between those in his party, fearing that the bill's reduction in Medicaid will leave millions unwilling to care and his most conservative flanks, which even hopes for steeper cuts to reduce tax breaks.
Thun announced at one point that they had stormed into the hall of the Capitol in a “homestead” and only went back soon, indicating that any progress was “elusive”.
Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson pointed out more potential issues in the future, warning that the Senate program might be in trouble as it was sent back to the House for the final round of votes as doubtful lawmakers were recalled to return to Washington before the July 4 deadline for Donald Trump.
“I've got the upper hand with my colleagues in the Senate, please keep it as close as possible to the home products,” said Johnson, a Louisiana Republican. House Republican, who had passed their version last month.
It was a crucial moment for Republicans, who took control of Congress and were racing to end with work a few days before Trump's holiday deadline. The official titled “A Large Beauty Act” with 940 pages makes Congress a common priority with the president.
In a midnight social media post, Trump called the bill “perhaps the greatest and most important of its kind.” Vice President JD Vance summed up his own series of positions and only begged the senators to “pass the bill.”
Republican leaders have no space for space, and have a narrow majority in both rooms. Thune could lose three Republican senators, two already — North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis warned people that they would lose access to Medicaid health care, while Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, who opposed raising debt restrictions, expressed his objection. Tris suddenly announced over the weekend that he would not seek reelection after Trump threatened to oppose his campaign.
Attention quickly turned to major senators, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, who also raised concerns about cuts in health care, but also a loose coalition of four conservative Republican senators who pushed for a steeper reduction.
On social media, billionaire Elon Musk once again slams Republicans for “pork party!”! To include a provision that raises the national debt limit by $5 trillion, it is necessary to allow continued borrowing to pay bills.
New York's Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said his team is working to show “how bad it is.”
“The reason Republicans are in chaos is because they know the bill is so unpopular,” Schumer said as he walked into the hall.
A new analysis by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office found that if the bill becomes law, 11.8 million Americans will not be able to insure by 2034. The CBO said the parcel will increase its deficit by nearly $3.3 trillion over the decade.
Senators want to see
In the House or Senate, when the final plan emerges, few Republicans seem completely satisfied.
Tillis said it was a promise from the president not to kick health care, especially when rural hospitals are closed.
Collins proposed to increase the $25 billion rural hospital fund to $50 billion, but her amendment failed. Murkowski is trying to ensure people in his state are lifted from some cuts in healthcare and food stamps, while also working to increase federal reimbursement to hospitals in Alaska. They did not say how they would vote for the final plan.
“Radio silence,” Murkovsky said when asked.
Meanwhile, conservative Senate Republicans have proposed steeper health care cuts, including Florida's Rick Scott, Utah's Mike Lee, Wisconsin's Ron Johnson and Wyoming's Cynthia Lummis, to apply to Toone's office for a near-middle night meeting.
The Senate spent about 18 hours working on more than twenty amendments, known as the “voting,” which is a typical effort, and it is longer than usual as negotiations happen inside and outside the room. The White House legislative team is also in the Capitol.
Some of these amendments — part of the strike bill that limits Medicaid funds to rural hospitals or transfers the cost of food stamp benefits to states — have won support from several Republicans, although few people have passed.
Sen. Mike Crapo, Republican chairman of the Finance Committee, dismissed horrible predictions of cutting health care as Democrats trafficked what he called “politics of fear.”
What's on the big bill
All in all, the Senate bill includes $4.5 trillion in tax cuts, which, according to the latest CBO analysis, makes Trump's permanent 2017 tax rate expire at the end of the year, if Congress fails to take action, while increasing the new tax rate for his campaign, including taxes without prompts.
The Senate program will reduce billions of dollars in green energy tax credits, which Democrats warn that will eliminate wind and solar investment nationwide. It will impose $1.2 trillion cuts (mainly Medicaid and food stamps) on Medicaid and food stamps by imposing work requirements on sound people, including some parents and older Americans, which will make signing eligibility stricter and change federal reimbursement to states.
Additionally, the bill would provide a $350 billion injection to border and national security, including deportation, some of whom paid for new fees charged to immigrants.
Democrats fight all night
As a minority party in Congress, Democrats cannot stop the progress and are using urgent tools to delay and delay the process.
Democrats read the text in a comprehensive way, which took 16 hours and they had a series of amendments.
Washington's Senator Patty Murray, a ranking Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, raised special attention on the accounting method used by Republicans as the debate began late Sunday, saying Trump's first term is now “current policy” and should not be extended to a deficit.
She said this “magic math” would not fly with Americans trying to balance their own home books.
___
Associated Press writers Ali Swenson, Fatima Hussein, Michelle L.
