Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill' Is in Big Trouble
Just eight days out from the Senate GOP's self-imposed (read: Donald Trump–imposed) July 4 deadline to pass the president's One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the Senate parliamentarian has dealt a blow to the sweeping plan, which cuts taxes for corporations and the rich and pays for it with massive slashes to entitlement programs, most notably Medicaid.
As Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough gives the proposed budget reconciliation a 'Byrd bath'—so called because it winnows out nonbudgetary provisions, under what's known as the Byrd Rule—she has scrubbed the bill of some of its grime.
According to a Thursday morning press release from the Senate Budget Committee ranking member and Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley, the Senate parliamentarian has spiked numerous provisions, which will now have to surmount a 60-vote hurdle in order to remain in the bill as written—something that has zero chance of happening.
These nixed provisions would have significantly restricted health care access for individuals who are not citizens and limited states' ability to administer Medicaid. They included bans on federal funding for Medicaid for certain groups—such as for those whose citizenship status was not immediately verified and people seeking gender-affirming care. Others would have limited states' ability to tax health care providers to fund Medicaid and revoked Medicare eligibility for refugees, asylum-seekers, and people with temporary protected status.
With these provisions and others having gotten the chopping block—and more potentially on the way—Republican lawmakers are none too pleased.
'How is it that an unelected swamp bureaucrat, who was appointed by Harry Reid over a decade ago, gets to decide what can and cannot go in President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill?' tweeted Representative Greg Steube, who advocated for Vice President JD Vance to overrule MacDonough in a message retweeted by fellow GOP Representative Andy Biggs. Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville decried 'the WOKE Senate Parliamentarian' along similar lines.
Yesterday, Republican Representative Jeff Van Drew, lamenting that MacDonough 'has already blocked major parts of House Republicans' One Big Beautiful Bill,' tweeted, 'It doesn't have to be this way. The Republicans senators are not required to adhere to anything she says.'
Democrats, on the other hand, are applauding the setback to Trump's agenda. 'Republicans are scrambling to rewrite parts of this bill to continue advancing their families lose, and billionaires win agenda,' said Merkley, 'but Democrats stand ready to fully scrutinize any changes and ensure the Byrd Rule is enforced.'
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