Senators working through the weekend on Trump's 'big, beautiful bill'
Senators are working through the weekend to advance President Donald Trump's “big, beautiful bill” ahead of his self-imposed July 4 deadline, but Republicans are facing procedural and political roadblocks.
Senators are working through the weekend to advance President Donald Trump's “big, beautiful bill” ahead of his self-imposed July 4 deadline, but Republicans are facing procedural and political roadblocks.
Senators are working through the weekend to advance President Donald Trump's “big, beautiful bill” ahead of his self-imposed July 4 deadline, but Republicans are facing procedural and political roadblocks.
The Senate is working through the weekend to advance President Donald Trump's “big, beautiful bill” ahead of his self-imposed July 4 deadline.
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Senators are racing to review an that was released overnight ahead of an initial vote happening as early as Saturday that could kick off hours of debate and a slew of amendments.
The rewrite is a response to procedural and political roadblocks. Earlier this week, the chamber's rules referee advised that several proposals included in the initial package weren't allowed under the budget process that Republicans are using to pass the legislation with a simple majority, rather than the 60 votes normally required in the Senate.
It remains to be seen if the updates will reconcile conflicting policy demands within the GOP's narrow majorities. The sprawling bill includes Trump's major priorities, such as increasing border security resources, ramping up military spending and .
The scope of spending cuts has been one of the biggest sticking points throughout the process. Some Republicans have argued that the bill doesn't go far enough to rein in the national debt, while others have raised concerns about the impact of proposed spending reductions for Medicaid, the government health care program for low-income families, children, and people with disabilities.
If this bill ultimately passes in the Senate, it still needs to win approval again in the House.
President Trump ramped up the pressure in a social media post on Friday, writing, “The House of Representatives must be ready to send it to my desk before July 4 — We can get it done. It will be a wonderful Celebration for our Country.”
At a press conference earlier Friday, Trump struck a slightly different tone, saying the Independence Day deadline is “not the end-all.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized Republicans for rushing the process.
"Here they are rushing to meet an artificial deadline even though they know their bill is deeply flawed and harmful to their constituencies and their own politics,” Schumer said. “Republicans need to show some backbone and tell Donald Trump his bill is a disaster."
Speaking to reporters Friday, House Speaker Mike Johnson said his chamber “will not be jammed.” He said it's possible the timeline could slip, but he is still determined to wrap up the process by July 4.
“It would be poetic to do it on Independence Day, and I certainly hope we can still do that,” Johnson said.