The self-imposed July 4 deadline for completion is now just a week away, and Senate Republicans were dealt a huge setback on the so-called 'big, beautiful bill.'
The Senate Parliamentarian has stripped another provision, but this one could make the bill a no-go for senators as well as House Republicans.
The clock is ticking, and for all intents and purposes, lawmakers have to go back to the starting blocks to get this bill crafted and passed.
I believe the Senate is making a huge mistake by not working with the House on its version of the spending bill that was sent to them after it passed along party lines.
There is no wiggle room, but the Senate has made changes to which House Republicans, more specifically, the Freedom Caucus, has openly objected, and now chairman Andy Harris (R-MD) is calling their bluff.
Harris is warning the Senate that if members choose to ignore the Freedom Caucus’ demands, “They will lose the bet.”
I am with Harris on this one, as I do not support the legislation as is, as I have several issues with the bill, not to mention I believe it will have the national deficit up over $40 trillion by the time Trump leaves office.
Early Thursday morning, a report hit that the Senate GOP was looking to add a Medicaid “sweetener” to the legislation to make the bill more appealing to its detractors.
The sugar in this deal was to add $3 billion annually to Medicaid spending for any state applying to the program, which would be in play for the next five years.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), however, was still not a fan, stating, "I don’t think that solves the entire problem. The Senate cuts in Medicaid are far deeper than the House cuts and I think that’s problematic as well."
The problem, as I see it, is that people like Collins do not appear to want to entertain the idea that fraud and waste exist in the program. This is why it is so aggravating that they wait so long to create these bills. If I were in charge, I would have ordered a report on the waste as soon as the term had started, then backed up my funding numbers with that report to prove that the current allocation is more than enough.
All of that back and forth could be for naught, however, as the Senate Parliamentarian took out the red pen again, this time cutting a Medicaid provider tax from the bill.
Democrats were giddy that the parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough, stripped these provisions from the bill if the GOP wants to use reconciliation. Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Jeff Merkley (D-OR) stated, "Democrats are continuing to make the case against every provision in this Big, Beautiful Betrayal of a bill that violates Senate rules and hurts families and workers."
He added, "Democrats are fighting back against Republicans’ plans to gut Medicaid, dismantle the Affordable Care Act, and kick kids, veterans, seniors, and folks with disabilities off of their health insurance -- all to fund tax breaks for billionaires."
This is a big blow not only for the GOP but also for Trump, as he wants this bill on his desk by July 4. Hopefully, they start working around the clock and get this done, as that clock is ticking, and they really need to finish the job.
