Checking in on the Nevada Legislature: What's on death watch and what's still kicking
Time is ticking for the hundreds of bills still alive in the Nevada State Legislature. (Photo: Trevor Bexon/Nevada Current)
The Nevada State Legislature has only a fortnight remaining before it must gavel out, which means it's crunch time for the hundreds of bills still trying to make it to Gov. Joe Lombardo's desk.
Friday, May 16 marked the 103rd day of the session and the deadline by which most bills had to pass out of a committee. The bills subject to Friday's deadline had already passed one chamber of the Legislature, meaning their next step is to get a floor vote in whichever chamber hasn't already voted on it. The deadline for passing that full floor vote is this Friday, May 23.
Meanwhile, there is an avalanche of bills exempt from standard deadlines. Some of these bills are chugging along. Others are languishing in inaction and likely already dead inside, though their sponsors may still be holding out hope.
We know it's a lot to follow, so here's the Nevada Current's status check on the dozens of noteworthy bills we have covered so far this session. We've included links to our previous coverage and links to the official legislative website where you can find out more about each bill.
This time around, we've broken out the bills that appear stuck in a budget committee. The rest of the bills are organized by subject. We've also added dates to give you a sense of how long each bill has been wherever it is.
* Notes: Bills exempt from the legislative deadline are marked with an asterisk. Lead sponsors are listed in parentheses. Bills with no lead sponsor listed are sponsored by interim committees.
One common joke among the halls of the Legislature is that Senate Finance and Assembly Ways and Means are the committees where bills go to die. That may especially be true this year because of a souring economic outlook and the potential for major federal cuts causing further financial damage later this year.
Here's a look at bills that have been referred to these budget committees and not seen recent action.
Senate Bill 54* would require the state's Department of Health and Human Services to apply for a federal waiver and amend the state Medicaid plan to cover medical respite care for people experiencing homelessness. Referred to Senate Finance on April 21.
Senate Bill 172* (Sen. Edgar Flores, D) seeks to bolster protections for farm workers and amend overtime pay laws to include agriculture workers. Referred to Senate Finance on April 16.
Senate Bill 199* (State Sen. Dina Neal, D) would establish guardrails around artificial intelligence. Referred to Senate Finance on April 21.
Senate Bill 217* (State Sen. Nicole Cannizzaro, D) would establish the right to assisted reproduction treatment, including in vitro fertilization. Referred to Senate Finance on April 18.
Senate Bill 220* (State Sen. Roberta Lange, D) is known as the Nevada Film Infrastructure, Workforce Development, Education and Economic Diversification Act. It is one of two bills that would massively expand the state's film tax credit program to support a film and production studio in southwest Las Vegas. Referred to Senate Finance on April 15.
Senate Bill 244* (State Sen. Roberta Lange, D) would expand the types of obesity treatments covered by Nevada Medicaid, including approving weight-loss drugs like Ozempic for wider use. Referred to Senate Finance on April 1.
Senate Bill 260* (Sen. Edgar Flores, D) seeks to ensure that outdoor workers receive protection when air quality reaches unhealthy levels due to wildfire smoke. Status: Referred to Senate Finance on April 21.
Senate Bill 353* (State Sen. Marilyn Dondero Loop, D) would increase Medicaid reimbursement for mental health providers. Referred to Senate Finance on April 17.
Senate Bill 391* (State Sen. Dina Neal, D) would establish a corporate landlord registry and cap purchasing power for corporate owners. Referred to Senate Finance on April 21.
Senate Bill 431* would apply the state's live entertainment tax to tickets resold by third-party vendors and dedicate some funding to transit. Referred to Senate Finance on April 21.
Assembly Bill 191* (Assemblymember Natha Anderson, D) would give graduate assistants the right to collectively bargain for better pay and conditions. Referred to Assembly Ways and Means on April 14.
Assembly Bill 224* (Assemblymember Erica Mosca, D) would dedicate $100 million in state general obligation bonds for high-needs school construction projects in low-population counties that cannot fund them through typical means. Referred to Assembly Ways and Means on April 10.
Assembly Bill 246* (Assemblymember Venicia Considine, D) would require the Nevada Department of Corrections to conduct a study on food quality, waste and nutrition within state prisons. Referred to Assembly Ways and Means on April 21.
Assembly Bill 276* (Assemblymember P.K. O'Neill, R) would adjust the commerce tax threshold to inflation. Referred to Assembly Ways and Means on April 21.
Assembly Bill 366* (Assemblymember Daniele Monroe-Moreno, D) would appropriate $25 million from the state general fund to supportive housing initiatives throughout the state. Heard by Assembly Ways and Means on March 28. No action taken.
Assembly Bill 388* (Assemblymember Selena La Rue Hatch, D) would require private employers with more than 50 workers, as well as all public employers, to provide paid family and medical leave. Referred to Assembly Ways and Means on April 15.
Assembly Bill 460* (Assemblymember Cecelia González, D) streamlines the process for selecting a temporary guardian for minors prior to any immigration action. Referred to Assembly Ways and Means on April 21.
Assembly Bill 475* would provide funding for eviction diversion programs in Clark and Washoe counties. Heard by Assembly Ways and Means on April 4.
Senate Bill 121 (State Sen. Dina Neal, D) changes what homeowners' associations are allowed to require of new residents. Status: Passed Assembly Judiciary on May 8. Previously: Passed full Senate with bipartisan support: 18 yeas, 2 nays. Republicans Ira Hansen and Robin Titus opposed.
Assembly Bill 121 (Assemblymember Venicia Considine, D) would require all non-optional fees, such as sewer and water, be listed in advertisements for rental properties. It would also require landlords to offer a way for tenants to pay rent without added processing fees. Status: Passed Senate Commerce and Labor on May 12. Previously: Passed full Assembly on party lines: 27 yeas, 15 nays.
Assembly Bill 201 (Assemblymember Erica Roth, D) would expand efforts to automatically seal eviction records. Status: Passed Senate Judiciary on May 14. Previously: Passed full Assembly on party lines: 27 yeas, 15 nays.
Assembly Bill 211 (Assemblymember Venicia Considine, D) would allow a third party to take over the property until repairs are made and living conditions improved. Status: Passed Senate Government Affairs on May 16. Previously: Passed full Assembly: 41 yeas, 0 nays, 1 excused.
Assembly Bill 223 (Assemblymember Venicia Considine, D) would give tenants more power to hold landlords accountable for failing to provide livable conditions. Status: Passed Senate Commerce and Labor on May 16. Previously: Passed full Assembly on party lines: 27 yeas, 15 nays.
Assembly Bill 241 (Assemblymember Sandra Jauregui, D) would require counties to speed up the process to rezone land currently designated commercial use into residential or mixed use. Status: Passed Senate Commerce and Labor on May 16. Previously: Passed full Assembly 28 yeas, 14 nays. Republican Danielle Gallant voted with Democrats in support.
Assembly Bill 280 (Assemblymember Sandra Jauregui, D) proposes rent stabilization for seniors. Status: Passed Senate Commerce and Labor on May 12. Previously: Passed full Assembly on party lines: 27 yeas, 15 nays.
Assembly Bill 283 (Assemblymember Max Carter, D) would restructure the eviction process. Status: Passed Senate Judiciary on May 14. Previously: Passed full Assembly on party lines: 27 yeas, 15 nays.
Assembly Bill 540* is Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo's housing bill. It would allocate millions of dollars to build more housing and expand the definition of affordable housing to include people with higher incomes. Status: Heavily amended and passed by Assembly Commerce and Labor on May 16.
Senate Bill 316* (State Sen. Rochelle Nguyen, D) would curb how much profit pharmacy benefit managers can make. Status: Heard by Senate Finance on May 13.
Senate Bill 417 would allow Southwest Gas and other natural gas utilities to ask the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada to depart from traditional rate-setting in favor of alternative rate-making. Status: Heard by Assembly Growth and Infrastructure on May 15 and moved out of the committee without recommendation the following day. Previously: Passed full Senate unanimously.
Senate Bill 442 mandates utilities report the number of disconnections due to non-payment. Status: Passed Assembly Growth and Infrastructure on May 8. Previously: Passed full Senate with some bipartisan support: 17 yeas, 4 nays from Republicans.
Assembly Bill 44 (Attorney General Aaron Ford, D) seeks to crack down on 'knowingly deceptive' price fixing. Status: Passed Senate Commerce and Labor on May 16. Previously: Passed full Assembly: 24 yeas, 18 nays; three Democrats voted with Republicans in opposition.
Assembly Bill 204* (Assemblymember Max Carter, D) would prevent collection agencies from threatening to arrest people for debt, obtain a lien against a primary residence, seek to foreclose on a home, or garnish wages. Status: Heard by Assembly Ways and Means on May 15.
Senate Bill 348 (State Sen. Julie Pazina, D) would increase the fee hospitals pay the Nevada State Public Health Lab for a newborn screening panel to expand newborn screenings for rare diseases. Status: Passed Assembly Health and Human Services on May 14. Previously: Passed Senate with bipartisan support: 16 yeas, 5 nays.
Senate Bill 495*, known as the Nevada Health Care Access Act, is Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo's health care bill. Status: Introduced into the Legislature on May 15. Referred to Senate Health and Human Services.
Assembly Bill 176 (Assemblymember Selena Torres-Fossett, D), known as the Right to Contraception Act, would strengthen protections against a state or local government burdening access to contraceptive measures. Status: Passed Senate Health and Human Services on May 15. Previously: Passed full Assembly with unanimous support.
Assembly Bill 235 (Assemblymember Erica Roth, D) protects employees and volunteers of reproductive health care facilities, as well as their spouses, domestic partners or minor children, by allowing them to request a court order that keeps their personal information confidential on otherwise public records within the offices of county recorder, county assessor, county clerk, city clerk, Secretary of State, or Department of Motor Vehicles. Status: Passed Senate Government Affairs on May 16. Previously: Passed the full Assembly with bipartisan support: 33 yeas, 9 nays; six Republicans supported.
Assembly Bill 411 (Assemblymember Sandra Jauregui, D) would allow prescriptions for drugs used for medical abortions and miscarriage management to list the name of the prescribing health care practice, rather than the name of the specific individual providing the prescription. Status: Passed Senate Commerce and Labor on May 12. Previously: Passed full Assembly on party lines: 26 yeas, 15 nays, 1 Democrat excused.
Senate Bill 116 (State Sen. Skip Daly, D) would give pay raises to elected county officials. Status: Passed Assembly Government Affairs on May 16. Previously: Passed full Senate with bipartisan support: 19 yeas, 2 nays. Republicans Carrie Buck and Robin Titus opposed.
Senate Bill 161* (State Sen. Rochelle Nguyen, D) would establish an expedited arbitration process for teachers unions and school districts and establish a pathway for K-12 public school teachers to legally go on strike. Status: Passed full Senate: 14 yeas, 6 nays. Republicans Lori Rogich and John Steinbeck voted with Democrats in support.
Senate Bill 418* would enable the State Superintendent of Public Schools to withhold a charter school's per-pupil dollars in order to pay PERS delinquencies. Status: Passed Assembly Government Affairs on May 13. Previously: Passed full Senate unanimously.
Assembly Bill 112 (Assemblymember Duy Nguyen, D) would allow workers covered by collective bargaining agreements to use their accrued leave to care for family members. Status: Passed Senate Commerce and Labor on May 12. Previously: Passed full Assembly: 29 yeas, 13 nays. Republicans Rebecca Edgeworth and Gregory Hafen voted with Democrats in support.
Assembly Bill 215 (Assemblymember Daniele Monroe-Moreno, D) would prohibit high school teenagers from working between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. before a school day. Status: Passed Senate Commerce and Labor on May 12. Previously: Passed full Assembly unanimously.
Assembly Bill 502* would boost the state's ability to investigate and enforce prevailing wage violations. Status: Referred to Assembly Ways and Means on April 17. Hearing scheduled for May 23.
Assembly Joint Resolution 1* (Assemblymember Natha Anderson, D) would let voters in 2028 decide whether the taxable value of property should reset when a home is sold. Status: Heard by Senate Legislative Operations and Elections on May 15 and advanced without a recommendation the following day. Previously: Resolution passed full Assembly: 26 yeas, 16 nays. Democrat Brittney Miller joined Republicans in opposition.
Assembly Joint Resolution 8 (Assemblymember Joe Dalia, D) would let voters in 2028 decide whether Nevada should establish a dedicated business court with the goal of enticing large companies to incorporate here. Status: Passed Senate Legislative Operations and Elections on May 15. Previously: Resolution passed the full Assembly with bipartisan support: 40 yeas, 2 nays. Democrats Selena La Rue Hatch and Erica Roth opposed.
Assembly Bill 256 (Assemblymember Selena La Rue Hatch, D) would create a Regional Rail Transit Advisory Working Group to assess the need for a regional rail system in the state's largest metro areas, as well as potential funding sources for such a system. Status: Passed Senate Legislative Operations and Elections on May 15. Previously: Passed the full Assembly with unanimous support.
Assembly Bill 277 (Assemblymember Rich DeLong, R) would make the Net Proceeds of Minerals Bulletin public again. Status: Passed Senate Revenue and Economic Development on May 15. Previously: Passed Assembly unanimously.
Senate Bill 28 (City of Las Vegas) would create 'tax increment areas' in which a portion of future property tax revenue would be used to pay interest on bonds used to finance affordable housing development and public transit. Status: Passed Assembly Government Affairs on May 13. Previously: Passed full Senate with bipartisan support: 17 yeas, 4 nays. Four Republicans opposed.
Senate Bill 69 (Storey County) would require companies seeking massive tax abatements to enter into agreements to defray the costs of the government-provided services they would require. Status: Passed Assembly Revenue on May 16. Previously: Passed full Senate with bipartisan support: 17 yeas, 4 nays. Four Republicans opposed.
Assembly Bill 185 (Assemblymember Natha Anderson, D) would bar most HOAs from prohibiting licensed home-based childcare operations within their communities. Status: Passed Senate Health and Human Services on May 16. Previously: Passed Assembly with bipartisan support; 32 yeas, 10 nays. A third of the Republican caucus supported.
Assembly Bill 238* (Assemblymember Sandra Jauregui, D) is known as the Nevada Studio Infrastructure Jobs and Workforce Training Act. It massively expands the state's film tax credit program to support a production studio in Summerlin in Las Vegas. Status: Heard by Assembly Ways and Means on May 9. No action taken since.
Assembly Bill 376* (Assemblymember P.K. O'Neill, R) would create a 'regulatory sandbox' for the insurance industry. Status: Referred to Assembly Ways and Means on April 22. Scheduled for a hearing on May 20.
Assembly Bill 457* (Assemblymember Venicia Considine, D) originally sought to close a potential loophole that can be used by corporate landlords to avoid paying the state's commerce tax. It has now been amended into a study on the issue. Status: Passed Senate Revenue and Economic Development on May 15. Previously: Passed Assembly on party lines; 27 yeas 15 nays.
Assembly Bill 487 originally sought to ban retail pet sales statewide. It has been amended into a study bill. Status: Passed Senate Natural Resources on May 15. Previously: Passed Assembly with bipartisan support; 32 yeas, 9 nays, 1 excused. Six of the chamber's 15 Republicans supported.
Senate Bill 318* (State Sen. Skip Daly, D) would ban charter schools from contracting with for-profit education management organizations. Status: Heard by Senate Finance on May 19. No action taken.
Assembly Bill 217 would prohibit school employees from granting permission to immigration officers to enter a school, or provide student records, including information on a student's family, without a warrant. Status: Passed Senate Judiciary on May 14. Previously: Passed Assembly; 31 yeas, 11 nays. Four Republicans joined Democrats in support.
Assembly Bill 398* (Assemblymember Steve Yeager, D) would provide additional pay for public school district teachers in hard-to-fill positions. Yeager plans to amend the bill to establish a fund for broader charter school raises. Status: Heard by Assembly Ways and Means on May 15.
Assembly Bill 441 (Assemblymember Daniele Monroe-Moreno, D) would change how Opportunity Scholarships are administered. Status: Passed Senate Revenue and Economic Development on May 15. Previously: Passed Assembly on party lines; 27 yeas, 15 nays.
Senate Bill 88* would discharge medical debt from those incarcerated once they leave prison. Status: Heard by Senate Finance on May 19. No action taken.
Assembly Bill 91* (Assemblymember Erica Roth, D) is known as 'second look' legislation and would create an avenue for those incarcerated to have sentences reviewed by the State Board of Parole Commissioners after they've served extended periods of time. Status: Heard by Assembly Ways and Means on May 14. No action taken.
Assembly Bill 107 (Assemblymember Tracy Brown-May, D) would allow people convicted of marijuana possession for amounts that are currently legal to become foster parents. Status: Passed Senate Health and Human Services on May 15. Previously: Passed full Assembly with unanimous support.
Assembly Bill 111 (Assemblymember Brian Hibbetts, R) would make driving the wrong way a misdemeanor crime. Status: Passed Senate Growth and Infrastructure on May 14. Previously: Passed Assembly unanimously.
Senate Bill 323* (State Sen. Melanie Scheible, D) would create a pilot program to provide free phone calls at Florence McLure Women's Correctional Center. Status: Heard by Senate Finance on May 13. No action taken.
Assembly Bill 320* (Assemblymember Jovan Jackson, D) seeks to stop judges from using dress codes to turn away defendants. Status: Heard by Assembly Ways and Means on May 14. No action taken.
Senate Bill 350 (State Sen. James Ohrenschall, D) would extend the time period the state has for carrying out an execution of someone on death row. Status: Passed Assembly Judiciary on May 16. Previously: Passed full Senate on party lines: 13 yeas, 8 nays.
Assembly Bill 381* (Assemblymember Melissa Hardy, R) is known as Reba's Law and mandates prison time for killing a domestic animal. Status: Passed full Assembly unanimously on May 16.
Assembly Bill 402* (Assemblymember Selena Torres-Fossett, D) would authorize traffic monitoring cameras in construction work zones when workers are present. Status: Scheduled for Assembly Ways and Means hearing on May 23.
Assembly Bill 209 (Assemblymember David Orentlicher, D) would grant sex workers immunity from criminal liability from prostitution-related offenses if they call 911 seeking medical assistance. Status: Passed Senate Judiciary Committee on May 15. Previously: Passed Assembly on party-line vote.
Assembly Bill 321 (Assemblymember Jovan Jackson, D) seeks to establish a pathway for formerly incarcerated people to work as firefighters with the Nevada Division of Forestry. Status: Passed Senate Judiciary on May 15. Previously: Passed full Assembly unanimously.
Senate Bill 457 (Gov. Joe Lombardo, R) is known as the Safe Streets and Neighborhoods Act. Status: Referred to Senate Judiciary on April 7, no hearing scheduled
Assembly Bill 96 would mandate that cities and counties with populations exceeding 100,000 people include 'heat mitigation' as part of their master plans. Status: Passed Senate Government Affairs on May 14. Previously: Passed Assembly; 29 yeas, 13 nays. Republicans Gregory Koenig and Toby Yurek voted with Democrats in support.
Assembly Bill 104 would establish the Nevada Voluntary Water Rights Retirement Program, which would allow willing landowners to sell their water rights back to the state through the year 2035. Status: Passed Senate Natural Resources on May 15. Previously: Passed full Assembly unanimously.
Assembly Joint Resolution 10 (Assemblymember Sandra Jauregui, D) a non-binding statement of support urging the federal government to prioritize the passage of the Southern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act, colloquially known as the Clark County Lands Bill, which would open 25,000 acres of public land in Southern Nevada to development. Status: Passed Senate Legislative Operations and Elections on May 15. Previously: Passed full Assembly with bipartisan support: 36 yeas, 6 nays. Six Democrats opposed.
As of Monday afternoon, only four bills had actually made it to the governor's desk — a bill funding the session, a bill covering a budget shortfall in the Secretary of State's Office, a bill designating Jan. 27 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day, and the 'emergency egg bill' designed to help reduce egg prices. Lombardo signed them all.
However, four bills have passed both chambers and should soon head to Lombardo. Most prominently: Assembly Bill 530, which would allow the Clark County Commission to extend fuel revenue indexing (FRI) an additional decade beyond its current sunset date.
The bill passed both chambers with bipartisan support. The Senate vote on May 12 was 14 yeas, 6 nays. Republicans Ira Hansen and John Steinbeck voted with Democrats in support. (Democrat James Ohrenschall was excused.) The Assembly vote in April was 39 yeas, 3 nays. Republicans Jill Dickman, Danielle Gallant, and Gregory Hafen were opposed.
Lombardo vetoed a similar bill in 2023. Once AB530 formally arrives at his desk, he will have 5 days to sign or veto.
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Trump bill takes unfriendly fire from GOP allies
President Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' took unfriendly fire from several White House allies Tuesday, including Elon Musk, complicating its path out of the Senate and to the president's desk. Musk offered stinging criticism of the bill just days after he left the administration, calling it 'a disgusting abomination.' 'I'm sorry, but I just can't stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination,' Musk posted on his social platform X. 'Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it,' the tech mogul continued, taking direct aim at House Republicans and drawing rebukes from GOP leaders in Congress. It's all a matter of bad timing for the president, who just went into overdrive seeking to win over GOP critics of the House bill. Trump made a series of calls in recent days as he begins the effort to get the bill through the Senate, where it faces calls for more spending cuts from the likes of Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.). Separately, GOP senators such as Josh Hawley (Mo.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Thom Tillis (N.C.) have other worries, ranging from what the bill would do to those on Medicaid to green tax credits. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had to react to the Musk missive in real time, as a reporter read her his post. 'The president already knows where Elon Musk stood on this bill,' she said, brushing off Musk's bruising commentary. 'It doesn't change the president's opinion. This is one, big, beautiful bill and he's sticking to it.' A few GOP senators, though, quickly sided with Musk. Paul backed the billionaire's comments after he had doubled down on his own objections to the bill, saying that he strongly opposes raising the debt ceiling, which would be hiked by $4 trillion under the current legislation. The president earlier Tuesday had directly slammed Paul, accusing the Kentucky lawmaker of voting 'NO on everything' and 'never' having 'practical or constructive ideas.' Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) also backed Musk, calling the deficit increase 'nothing short of stunning.' Johnson, another Trump ally, has harped on the need for the bill to be slashed in size in a series of cable news interviews. The White House signaled it wasn't worried about the GOP criticism Tuesday. 'Those senators, it's not news that they disagree with this president on policy, and the president has vocally called them out for it and for not having their facts together,' Leavitt said, calling the Congressional Budget Office 'historically wrong' over its cost projections of the GOP plan. '[Musk is] entitled to his opinion. I think that's a bit strong,' added Tillis, who told The Hill earlier in the day that he would oppose the House bill if that were the final version. 'I think there's a fair amount of policy in the bill. I think what Elon is talking about is a fraction of the bill. I don't believe he's focusing on a number of the things that even the American people's not focused on.' The airing of grievances comes at a make-or-break moment for the GOP, as it tries to complete work by July Fourth, which members have laid out as a goal date as they attempt to make the 2017 tax cuts permanent and eliminate taxes on tips, among other things. Trump is getting in on the action, speaking over the phone or meeting in person with Hawley, Johnson, Paul and Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) in recent days. 'He knows the list,' said one source familiar with the Senate state of play, referring to the members who must be won over. According to Johnson, Trump called him recently after his multiple TV appearances where he has heaped criticism on the House bill and talked up the needed spending cuts. 'He understands my concerns. He would love to return to reasonable, prepandemic spending,' Johnson said of Trump. '[That's] hard to accomplish in the House, I recognize that fact as well. … He expressed his concerns, and I expressed mine. They're legitimate concerns on both sides.' The Wisconsin Republican also noted he spoke Monday night with White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett, who subsequently appeared at the weekly Senate GOP luncheon Tuesday. Trump is 'deeply involved' with 'personally advocating' for the bill, and there will be additional meetings going forward between the administration and lawmakers to get it passed, a White House official told The Hill. Hawley told The Hill that their discussion is part of a 'rolling' one centered on his opposition to Medicaid benefit cuts — an opposition Trump shares. 'We talk on a pretty consistent basis,' he said. 'He's so involved. On the House side, they wouldn't have landed the plane without him.' 'He's very — to put it mildly — very, very involved, and I think he'll be, as the bill comes into focus on this side, I think he'll get more involved,' Hawley continued. 'He's how [Speaker] Mike Johnson passed it. Without him, they would never have passed it.' Scott said he met with Trump at the White House at the president's behest to discuss the avenue to getting it done. The Florida Republican has been aligned with Sens. Johnson and Lee in the hopes of increasing spending cuts. Paul also said he had a 'lengthy' call with the president in recent days. The Kentucky Republican has long been believed to be the toughest GOP member to win over, given his opposition to the debt ceiling hike. 'He did most of the talking,' Paul said. Although members concede Trump's impact is more acute with House members, given the political dynamics in the chamber, they still see the president as having real sway to get the package over the finish line. 'He's the closer,' Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told The Hill. 'The president clearly is very dialed in right now.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
