Trump challenged by Senate rules on healthcare provisions.
Trump Faces Major Setback on Proposed Medicaid Cuts President Donald Trump is in a bit of a bind. The Senate parliamentarian recently ruled that a significant overhaul of the Medicaid provider tax—central to Trump’s tax and spending bill—does not align with Senate procedural rules. This comes as Republican leaders scramble to push through the legislation before the impending Fourth of July deadline
Difficult discussions continue for Republicans in Senate.
Things are getting tricky. The Senate’s chief arbiter, whose guidance is usually treated like gold, recommended against several provisions that would inhibit certain immigrants from accessing health care. The GOP was banking on this as a way to make deep cuts to Medicaid and other programs, which they believed would offset the trillions in tax breaks they want to deliver to supporters. Some senators aren’t on board. They’re worried these cuts would strip care away from children, seniors, and families who already juggle tight budgets. Majority Leader John Thune has mentioned contingency plans but could not clarify if Friday’s crucial votes were still on track as the GOP faces increasing pressure from both inside and outside the party.
Parliamentarian’s warning adds pressure to GOP plans.
Senate Republicans in particular seem divided and the stakes are high. If they press ahead with the proposed measures, they risk a floor vote challenge that needs a 60-vote majority to pass—an uphill struggle in a tightly contested Senate. With Democrats standing united against the bill, the path forward looks a lot tougher. Some senators, like Josh Hawley, have been in touch with Trump, hoping to revert to earlier proposals that could help restore support from the party’s various factions. It’s all pretty fraught. There’s talk of an emergency fund for rural hospitals that could save them, but opinions on the amount vary quite a bit among Republicans—$15 billion? $100 billion? It’s a mess. The parliamentarian has been burning the midnight oil to crunch through these proposals while the clock is ticking.
