House Republicans endorsed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which includes President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda, early Thursday. However, securing approval from the House is really the initial obstacle for the plan, which must also satisfy a Senate Republican conference that is already indicating forthcoming amendments.
Trump is advocating for prompt action on his megabill, imploring senators in a tweet on X to proceed “as soon as possible” following the narrow victory in the House.
“We can celebrate this pass in the House for a couple of hours, but now it’s time for the Senate to get to work,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said during Thursday’s White House press briefing. “The president has great relationship with … Senate Majority Leader [John] Thune, and of course, so many friends on the Senate side of the Hill. And he’s expecting them to get busy on this bill and send it to his desk as soon as possible.”
Senate Republicans assert their commitment to expeditiously enacting Trump’s legislative agenda while intending to amend the bill to reflect their unique perspectives and address their objections.
Majority Leader Thune stated on Wednesday that “there are aspects we need to adjust, modify, or change,” noting that Speaker Mike Johnson “completely comprehends and acknowledges that.”
The primary concern expressed by GOP senators regarding the package is its contribution of trillions of dollars to the national debt.
The House bill will increase the debt ceiling by around $4 trillion. The Senate bill allocates an additional $5 trillion. “There is nothing fiscally conservative about increasing the debt ceiling to unprecedented levels,” stated Republican Senator Rand Paul on Thursday. “This will constitute the most significant elevation of the debt ceiling to date, and the GOP is now accountable for this.” The deficit for this year will amount to $2.2 trillion, which the GOP is now accountable for as well.
Certain Senate Republicans are advocating for more substantial budget reductions to ensure that increasing the debt limit is excluded from this legislation.
Republican Senator Ron Johnson, a prominent fiscal conservative, has indicated unequivocally that he would oppose the plan in its present form due to its increase in the deficit.
It is significantly inaccurate. It is quite poor. I have been attempting to introduce reality. “I have been attempting to introduce facts and figures,” Ron Johnson said reporters on Wednesday afternoon at the Capitol, while the House continued to progress the bill through the Rules Committee.
“Currently the fiscal situation is not even in the conversation in the House debate. We’re missing the forest talking about twigs and leaves. Medicaid, that’s, that’s a tree. That’s a big enough issue. But all this, all this, all these little tweaks they’re trying to make to get the deal completely ignores the elf in the room.. which says, on average, I mean, current [Congressional Budget Office] estimate, on average, we’ll have a $2.2 trillion deficit, per year,” Sen. Johnson added.
Several GOP Senators appeared more amenable to the bill, however acknowledged that more effort was required to secure passage in the upper house.
Republican Senator Thom Tillis remarked that “much of it appears quite favorable,” further stating that it represents a “promising beginning.”
“Still, I think there’s some opportunities for more efficiency, some more savings, and we have to look at the specifics of some of the renewable investment tax credits and production tax credits, and I think that even if we’re going to revise them, we’ve got to make sure that businesses who believe the government was setting this as a priority don’t have a lot of stranded costs,” he added.
If the Senate modifies the bill, it may create a convoluted trajectory for the speaker when the bill returns to the House. Republicans have established a Fourth of July deadline for both legislative chambers to approve the package and present it to Trump’s desk.
Facilitating the passage of this substantial package in the Senate presents a significant challenge for Thune, who can only afford to lose three of his members if it is brought to a vote on the Senate floor.
The package approved by the House incorporates new tax reductions, reductions to social safety net programs, and modifications to the food assistance program, SNAP, prompting Democrats to criticize the proposal for favoring affluent Americans while disadvantaging the impoverished.
Minority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized the plan in a post on X Thursday morning.
This is not a singular, magnificent bill. “It is unattractive,” Schumer stated. “There is nothing admirable about depriving individuals of healthcare, compelling children to experience hunger, denying communities essential resources, and exacerbating poverty.”
Democratic Senator Patty Murray characterized the bill as a “scam” in a post on X, imploring all Republicans to oppose it.
Murray stated the House Republicans have enacted a package that increases healthcare costs and removes millions off Medicaid, just to facilitate tax reductions for billionaires and large companies. It is imperative that America is informed. We must terminate this bill in the Senate.
Leavitt condemned Democrats for being “disconnected” from the American populace.
“Every Democrat in the House of Representatives who opposed these widely accepted and highly popular policies,” Leavitt stated during Thursday’s White House press conference. “The Democratic Party has never been more extreme and disconnected from the needs of the American populace.”
The Senate must also address the regulations determining the contents of such a package. Ensuring the bill complies with the Senate parliamentarian may necessitate further modifications that Mike Johnson will ultimately need to advocate for within his House conference.
As Trump prepares to talk with Senators, Leavitt informed ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Mary Bruce that she was uncertain whether those discussions had commenced.
What concessions did the GOP holdouts receive?
Speaker Johnson collaborated with his right flank to secure the passage of the megabill in the House, achieving this by a margin of one vote. What factors influenced the more than a dozen holdouts to acquiesce?
A few hard-liners informed ABC News of minimal developments.
Andy Harris, Chair of the House Freedom Caucus, declined to support the bill. He cast a “present” vote.
Republican Representative Keith Self, a staunch hard-liner, said ABC News that he delayed his affirmative vote on the bill until the final moment. He did not entirely endorse the law, however he was reluctant to be the individual responsible for its failure.
We possess something … “I would have preferred to advance further as well, to be candid, but we did our utmost and engaged in a commendable struggle,” Self stated.
The group of “more than a dozen” dissenters included Republicans from states such as New York and California, advocating for an increased limit on the state and local tax deduction. Speaker Johnson elevated the maximum from the proposed $30,000 to $40,000, with an annual increment of 1% afterward. That sufficed to secure their endorsement.
However, for the fiscal conservatives, it remains ambiguous how they can deem this a victory.
Leavitt stated on Thursday her belief that Trump would advocate for primary challenges against the two Republican representatives, Reps. Thomas Massie and Warren Davidson, who voted against the bill.
He appears to disapprove of grandstanding in Congress. What is the alternative? I would inquire of those congressional members. Did they desire an increase in taxes? Did they desire to witness our nation declare bankruptcy? Leavitt stated that this is the option if they attempt to vote against it.
After exerting considerable effort for days to advocate for more substantial spending reductions and consistently criticizing the expenditures that contributed to the inflated national debt, many of the dissenters capitulated.
The Freedom Caucus played a pivotal role, and we prolonged negotiations as far as possible to secure the reductions. We could no longer continue. “We survive to contend another day,” stated Republican Representative Ralph Norman, a significant dissenting voice, to reporters.
Norman asserts that no explicit agreement was reached among Trump, the speaker, and the staunch dissenters, despite a critical, final meeting at the White House on Wednesday.
