Playbook: Republicans ready to floor it on the megabill

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Good Saturday morning. This is Garrett Ross in the driver's seat. Let me know what's going on.
POD RAVE AMERICA: President Donald Trump has UFC CEO Dana White to thank for his campaign's podcasting blitz on his way back to the White House, Trump media adviser Alex Bruesewitz tells Playbook's Dasha Burns in an interview for this week's episode of 'The Conversation.' 'Dana was actually the first person to introduce the president to podcast circuits, or podcasting, when Dana set up an interview between the president and the Nelk Boys in early 2022,' Bruesewitz said. Barron Trump, the president's son, also played a big part in the evolution, Bruesewitz said, when he set up an interview with popular streamer Adin Ross.
From there, Bruesewitz and Susie Wiles, then Trump's campaign chief, agreed that they needed to do more. 'She sent me an email that Dana White had sent her previously with a few other podcast personalities that he recommended we sat down with, and she asked me to chase down the list and get in touch with the hosts. And the first guy I called was Theo Von.' Watch the clip on YouTube
On the Trump-Elon Musk breakup: 'There's, I think, tremendous disappointment in how that went down. But maybe one day we can all be a big happy family again.' Watch the clip
DRIVING THE DAY
RECONCILABLE DIFFERENCES: Republicans' sprawling reconciliation bill is finally set to get its day in the Senate.
The chamber is pushing forward with an initial vote on the Senate floor today, so that senators can eventually send the bill back to the House as GOP lawmakers race to deliver the legislation to Trump's desk by their self-imposed July 4 deadline. Follow along all day with our POLITICO Congress colleagues' liveblog
Timeline tracking: Despite some murmurs from the Hill and the White House yesterday that the deadline might slip, Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Speaker Mike Johnson appear to be on track to drag the bill over the line and avoid canceling the coveted holiday recess. But that's not to say there aren't still a handful of sticking points.
Text message: Following an extensive 'Byrd bath,' the updated text is in — er, most of it, at least. 'While the legislation, released by Budget Chair Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), includes updates for most committees that reflect finalized text blessed by Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough, the Finance Committee language is not fully updated to reflect her rulings,' POLITICO's Jordain Carney writes.
SALT on the table: The new text 'keeps House Republicans' plan to increase the deduction from $10,000 to $40,000, but it would snap back to current levels after 2029,' POLITICO's Benjamin Guggenheim reports. 'The new language likely shaves off at least $100 billion from the approximately $350 billion price tag of the House plan.' But it's still unclear if it'll pass muster. Johnson knows he still has at least 'one holdout' — an apparent reference to Rep. Nick LaLota, the New York Republican who said yesterday that if there was a deal, he wasn't part of it. Still, Johnson told reporters he believes that the Senate will sign on.
The Medicaid compromise: Throwing a bone to GOP moderates who are teetering on the fence, Senate Republicans are 'planning to provide a $25 billion stabilization fund for rural hospitals over five years,' a significant bump up from the $15 billion previously offered by GOP leadership, per Benjamin. 'Senate Republicans would also delay planned cuts to provider taxes that fund state obligations to Medicaid. The changes would still incrementally lower the allowable provider tax in Medicaid expansion states from 6 percent down to 3.5 percent.'
A significant caveat: 'The text for the Finance committee, which has jurisdiction over tax policy and Medicaid, could still see major changes' as we await the final language reflecting all of the rulings from the parliamentarian.
What else is in: There are sharp cuts to the Inflation Reduction Act's solar and wind tax credits, per POLITICO's Kelsey Tamborrino and James Bikales, the inclusion of which follows a direct push from Trump himself, as our colleagues scooped.
What's out: Republicans are set to strip out 'one of the most controversial elements in their plan to steeply hike annual taxes on private colleges' and universities' annual investment income: the exclusion of international students from how the endowment wealth of a school is calculated,' WSJ's Juliet Chung and Richard Rubin report. The updated text also cut out a section that 'would have limited the ability of federal courts to issue preliminary injunctions or temporary restraining orders against the U.S. if a bond had not been posted,' per POLITICO's Hailey Fuchs. And the parliamentarian knocked out a provision that would have instituted a minimum $1,000 fee for asylum applicants, Hailey reports.
Call to action: A group of 17 GOP governors sent a pleading letter to Thune and Johnson, urging the duo to remove a 10-year moratorium on enforcing state and local AI laws from the bill, POLITICO's Anthony Adragna reports, noting that it amounts to the biggest show of Republican resistance to the provision so far.
First in Playbook — The sticky wickets: There are still a handful of serious outstanding issues that the chambers need to work out to avoid further delays. In a must-read piece up this morning, Jordain and Meredith Lee Hill lay out the obstacle course that leaders still need to navigate — and how the deadline could still fall by the wayside.
Getting personal: First and foremost, members 'continue to fight jealously to keep personal priorities in the bill — including parts of a $4 trillion package of tax cuts set to affect virtually the entire U.S. economy.' Then there's the segment of lawmakers whose rhetoric has essentially turned the megabill 'into an ideological litmus test on federal spending and budget deficits' and are now 'facing a put-up-or-shut-up moment after repeatedly drawing red lines and then moving forward with the legislation anyway.'
The ripple effect: The vote is particularly prickly for a handful of lawmakers 'facing what could be existential political stakes as they brace for tough reelection contests in next year's midterms. Many are balking at having to vote on cutbacks to safety-net programs, clean-energy projects and other federal assistance their states and constituents rely on.'
To sum it up: These messy factors have 'turned the megabill's endgame into a high-wire act — and Thune is keeping the pressure on, expecting his members will want to stay on the rope.'
Quote of the day: 'We've cussed it. We've discussed it,' Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) said. 'But we're gradually going from thoughtful, rational deliberation into the foothills of jackassery. I mean, we're talking about the same thing over and over and over.'
What to watch today: 'GOP leaders are making serious efforts to lock down votes,' Meredith writes in. 'We're expecting further changes on Medicaid and several other outstanding items that could shore up several holdout votes. Leaders are also adding additional SNAP grants aimed at Alaska after the state's two GOP senators, Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, protested, as we scooped.'
More mood music: As Congress barrels ahead with votes on the behemoth bill, lawmakers are 'preparing to back a measure that they fear gives their constituents little to love and lots to hate,' NYT's Carl Hulse and Catie Edmondson write. Republicans are essentially 'going into the process in a defensive crouch, with many conceding that the final product is far from ideal.' In the end, it all comes down to preserving the GOP's tax cuts. Oh, and the looming specter of drawing Trump's rage if they can't deliver. (More on that in a moment.)
The antidote? Plenty on both sides of the Capitol have complained that the bill doesn't do enough. Enter Johnson, who yesterday told senators that he wants to do another reconciliation bill — giving them another pass at spending cuts and provisions that got axed from the megabill.
THE VIEW FROM 1600 PENN: As we hit crunch time, Trump's involvement in the corralling of reluctant lawmakers as the closer is a big point of interest. At this stage, the president is in a position of fielding calls rather than proactively making them, a senior White House official tells Playbook's Dasha Burns.
Trump isn't yet whipping individual votes but is very involved in the process and recently met with Johnson and Thune — a meeting that originally was set to be just the speaker, but expanded to include the Senate chief because it was going long and in-depth, per the White House official.
The bottom line: Those in the West Wing still believe this gets done by July 4.
And here's the word of warning for potential defectors: 'You can vote to end your career or not,' the senior White House official said.
9 THINGS THAT STUCK WITH US
1. THE CRACKDOWN ON CIVIL SOCIETY: Trump secured a major scalp in his effort to bend American institutions to his will, as University of Virginia President James Ryan announced he'd resign under pressure from an investigation into its diversity practices, NYT's Michael Schmidt and Michael Bender report. DOJ forced him out as it pursued a civil rights probe into U.Va.'s consideration of race in decision-making. Ryan said he couldn't prioritize his own job over the ramifications for others — like the loss of funding or visas — that would ensue if he didn't comply. The strong-arming of one of the nation's top public universities takes the administration's pressure campaign on higher education to a new level.
Meanwhile in Cambridge: The Trump administration appealed a federal judge's ruling that barred the government's attack on Harvard foreign students, The Crimson's Matan Josephy and Laurel Shugart report.
I fought the law and the law won: Trump's losing streak against law firms in court continued as a federal judge struck down his effort to retaliate against Susman Godfrey, per Bloomberg. The judge ruled that Trump's executive order was unconstitutional. That makes it four for four among firms that have sued over Trump's squeeze, though nine others struck deals with him.
2. FRIDAY NIGHT MASSACRE: 'Justice Department abruptly fires 3 prosecutors involved in Jan. 6 criminal cases, AP sources say,' by AP's Alanna Durkin Richer: 'Those dismissed include two attorneys who worked as supervisors overseeing the Jan. 6 prosecutions in the U.S. attorney's office in Washington as well as a line attorney who prosecuted cases stemming from the Capitol attack … The terminations marked yet another escalation of norm-shattering moves that have raised alarm over the Trump administration's disregard for civil service protections for career lawyers and the erosion of the Justice Department's independence.'
3. TRADING PLACES: Trump's trade war with Canada suddenly roared back to life as the president said he'd ended all negotiations with the U.S.' northern neighbor, per the WSJ. The trigger was Ottawa's digital services tax affecting American tech companies, from which initial payments are set to begin Monday. As Canada wouldn't back off the tax in trade talks, 'Trump had grown furious.' Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent threatened a Section 301 trade investigation into Canada. But PM Mark Carney's government isn't retreating yet.
4. WAR AND PEACE: 'Congo and Rwanda sign a US-mediated peace deal aimed at ending decades of bloody conflict,' by AP's Chinedu Asadu and colleagues: 'Secretary of State Marco Rubio called it 'an important moment after 30 years of war.' … While the deal is seen as a turning point, analysts don't believe it will quickly end the fighting because the most prominent armed group says it does not apply to it. Many Congolese see it mainly as an opportunity for the U.S. to acquire critical minerals.'
Speaking of ceasefires: Trump dangled the prospect of striking an Israel-Hamas ceasefire within the next week, per Bloomberg, though details were scarce. Meanwhile, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres urgently called for a ceasefire and warned that the U.S.-supported humanitarian aid mechanism in Gaza is 'unsafe' and 'killing people,' per Reuters.
5. IRAN FALLOUT: As expected, the Senate voted down Sen. Tim Kaine's (D-Va.) war powers resolution to assert a greater congressional role in Trump's strikes against Iran, per CNN. The procedural vote failed largely along partisan lines, with only Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and John Fetterman (D-Pa.) breaking with their parties.
Prospects for negotiations: The vote came after Trump warned that he'd be willing to bomb Iran again if necessary, per Reuters. 'Without question, absolutely,' he said, warning that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's continued belligerence had prompted Trump to stop considering sanctions relief for Iran. Trump's comments seemed to dampen the prospects for negotiations, which House Republicans had celebrated as a crucial outcome of Trump's strikes, POLITICO's John Sakellariadis and colleagues report. At the same time, Iran's ambassador to the U.N. told Al-Monitor that Tehran could be open to moving its enriched uranium out of the country in a deal with the U.S. — in exchange for 'yellowcake' powder.
Inside the administration: Trump has steered through this fraught Iran period with a much-diminished NSC, now down to under 50 policy experts, NOTUS' John Seward and colleagues report. That has raised questions about the depth of his briefings. Meanwhile, isolationist DNI Tulsi Gabbard's pivot to try to align herself with Trump's hawkish moves could damage her credibility within her agency, The Atlantic's Isaac Stanley-Becker and Shane Harris report.
Astonishing: A forthcoming book from Josh Dawsey, Tyler Pager and Isaac Arnsdorf reveals that Iran 'nearly succeeded' in assassinating Mike Pompeo in 2022, WaPo's Emily Davies reports. The former secretary of State only 'narrowly escaped' the attempt at a Paris hotel. Trump revoked Pompeo's security detail early in his second term.
6. IMMIGRATION FILES: DHS announced it will end Temporary Protected Status for Haitians, placing about half a million people at risk of deportation come September, the Miami Herald's Jacqueline Charles and Nora Gámez Torres report. The department claimed that Haiti was now safe enough for people to go back, despite ongoing chaos from widespread gang violence: Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said just two days ago that 'public order there has all but collapsed.' The news stunned the large Haitian community in South Florida; DHS' move will likely face legal challenges.
More immigration news: The U.S. is trying to block refugees from countries affected by the travel ban, even as it plans to admit 1,000 white South Africans, WaPo's Silvia Foster-Frau reports. … The coming 'Alligator Alcatraz' detention in the center, which could start housing migrants as early as next week, faced a new federal lawsuit from environmental groups, the Tampa Bay Times' Emily Mahoney reports. … NBC's David Noriega has the story of a Venezuelan disappeared into a Salvadoran mega-prison, who'd just had major surgery and now has been incommunicado for 100 days. DHS responds that he served prison time for homicide in Venezuela, though that wouldn't be relevant for the due process rights the U.S. denied him.
7. IN THE DOGE HOUSE: 'DOGE loses control over government grants website, freeing up billions,' by WaPo's Dan Diamond and Hannah Natanson: 'The U.S. DOGE Service has lost the power to control the government's process for awarding billions of dollars in federal funds, the latest sign of the team's declining influence … [O]n Thursday, federal officials were instructed to stop routing the [grants.gov] grant-making process through DOGE.'
8. TRAIL MIX: Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) won't seek reelection, potentially giving Democrats a leg up in a swing district where they've long failed to unseat the rare Republican moderate, per Punchbowl's Jake Sherman. … Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) plans to announce a campaign for South Dakota governor, POLITICO's Meredith Lee Hill scooped. … California state Sen. Scott Wiener filed paperwork to run for Congress in Rep. Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calif.) district — but not until 2028, per the S.F. Chronicle's Sara Libby.
9. SCOTUS' BIG FINALE, ONE DAY LATER: 'Trump adversaries see silver linings in his 'monumental' Supreme Court win,' by POLITICO's Kyle Cheney and colleagues: 'The 6-3 decision has a single headline holding: Federal district judges 'lack authority' to issue 'universal injunctions,' Justice Amy Coney Barrett wrote for the conservative majority. It's a breathtaking pronouncement … But Barrett's 26-page opinion leaves a surprising degree of wiggle room. … Trump's opponents say they see alternative routes to obtain effectively the same sweeping blocks of at least some policies that run afoul of the law and the Constitution.' Still, these options 'could be slower and less potent,' WSJ's Ryan Barber and colleagues write.
With friends like these: Despite the justices' frequent claims of camaraderie on the court, the last decisions of this term showed increasingly biting attacks between ideological camps, POLITICO's Josh Gerstein writes. Among others, Barrett and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson excoriated each other with opinions in the nationwide injunctions case that essentially traded accusations of undermining the rule of law.
CLICKER — 'The nation's cartoonists on the week in politics,' edited by Matt Wuerker — 17 funnies
GREAT WEEKEND READS:
— 'Extreme Violence Without Genocide,' by The Atlantic's Graeme Wood: 'The plight of white South Africans is part of a much larger problem.'
— 'How Foreign Scammers Use U.S. Banks to Fleece Americans,' by Cezary Podkul for ProPublica: 'The huge demand for accounts used for misbehavior gives banks a crucial, and not always welcome, role as gatekeepers … Yet from the U.S. to Singapore, Australia and Hong Kong, banks have consistently failed at that responsibility.'
— 'It's Indian Mango Season, and the Cutthroat Selling Frenzy Is On,' by NYT's Priya Krishna: 'For a few short months, dozens of part-time importers in New Jersey relentlessly compete to get the fruit into the hands of an eager diaspora.'
— 'Calculating the Damage of Vaccine Skepticism,' by The New Yorker's Rivka Galchen: 'It's clear that we're on the precipice of a surge in preventable diseases. But how bad will it get?'
— 'Snake Venom, Urine, and a Quest to Live Forever: Inside a Biohacking Conference Emboldened by MAHA,' by Wired's Will Bahr: 'WIRED attended a biohacking conference filled with unorthodox and often unproven anti-aging treatments. Adherents revealed how the Make America Healthy Again movement has given them a renewed fervor.'
— 'It Was Already One of Texas's Strangest Cold Cases. Then a Secretive Figure Appeared,' by Texas Monthly's Peter Holley: 'Jason Landry's disappearance confounded the state's top investigators. When thousands of online sleuths got involved, intrigue turned into obsession.'
TALK OF THE TOWN
Joe Biden paid his respects to Melissa and Mark Hortman as they lay in state in St. Paul. He also visited John Hoffman and his family in the hospital.
Bobby Scott's family said Donald Trump's military parade had illegally played 'He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother' despite being told they didn't have permission.
Thomas LeGro, a Pulitzer-winning video journalist at WaPo, was arrested on child pornography charges.
PLAYBOOK REAL ESTATE SECTION — 'Sen. Tim Sheehy Lists Home on Montana's Flathead Lake for $10.25 Million,' by WSJ's Katherine Clarke: 'The property, known as Bird Point, is about 30 miles from Big Fork, Mont. It encompasses a roughly 7-acre peninsula at the south end of the lake. There are numerous structures, including a roughly 5,000-square-foot, five-bedroom main house, plus a cabin and a guesthouse.'
OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at Hamburger Group Creative's summer rooftop reception at their new Union Market office Thursday night: Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.), Martin Hamburger, Claire Carlin, Kevin Walling, Alex Stroman, Liz Amster, Brooke Butler, Rob Bassin, Mac Deford, Matt Corridoni, Matt Fried, Jon Gonin, Tony P., J. Toscano, Emma Weir, Kim Devlin and Marty Stone.
TRANSITIONS — Tim Carroll is now senior press secretary for the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions. He previously was deputy associate administrator for public affairs at the EPA in the Biden administration. … Diana London is now president of the American Growth and Innovation Forum, a new organization that aims to advocate for and drive positive narratives about U.S. businesses. …
… Casey Clemmons is now chief of staff at West Point Thoroughbreds. He previously was director of scheduling for then-Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. … Jasmin Alemán is now VP of U.S. government and regulatory affairs for BNP Paribas. She previously was a congressional affairs specialist at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and is a Ritchie Torres and Chuck Schumer alum.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Elon Musk … Ziad Ojakli … POLITICO's Alex Keeney, Eli Reyes, Scott Waldman and Amelia Davidson … Erin McPike … FGS Global's Richard Walters … Carolyn Coda of Invariant … Paul Bonicelli … Allison Aprahamian of Senate Foreign Relations … Megan Bloomgren … Bill Hulse of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce … Pete Nonis … Kate Mills of Monument Advocacy … Rob Tappan … Al-Monitor's Elizabeth Hagedorn … Bill Greener III … former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta … Jesse Holland … former Reps. Jane Harman (D-Calif.) (8-0) and Donna Edwards (D-Md.) … Marc Kasowitz … Laura Tyson … Yaffa Fredrick
THE SHOWS (Full Sunday show listings here):
Fox News 'Sunday Morning Futures': President Donald Trump.
POLITICO 'The Conversation with Dasha Burns': Alex Bruesewitz.
NBC 'Meet the Press': Zohran Mamdani … Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) … Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.). Panel: Courtney Kube, Stephanie Murphy, Amna Nawaz and Marc Short.
ABC 'This Week': Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) … House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries … Fiona Havers. Supreme Court panel: Devin Dwyer and Sarah Isgur. Panel: Ramesh Ponnuru, Marianna Sotomayor and Faiz Shakir.
FOX 'Fox News Sunday': Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) … Sen. Jim Banks (R-Ind.). Panel: Olivia Beavers, Richard Fowler, Katie Pavlich and Kevin Roberts.
CBS 'Face the Nation': Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) … Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) … Amir-Saeid Iravani … Rafael Mariano Grossi … Scott Gottlieb.
CNN 'State of the Union': Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) … Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.). Panel: Rep. Riley Moore (R-W.Va.), Alyssa Farah Griffin, Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.) and Ashley Allison.
MSNBC 'The Weekend: Primetime': Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.).
NewsNation 'The Hill Sunday': Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) … Rep. Lori Trahan (D-Mass.) … Carol Moseley Braun. Panel: Burgess Everett, Domenico Montanaro, Margaret Talev and Jason Willick.
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