Senators prep for a weekend of work to meet Trump's deadline for passing his tax and spending cuts
The Senate is expected to grind through a rare weekend session as Republicans race to pass President Donald Trump's package of tax breaks and spending cuts by his July Fourth deadline.
Republicans are using their majorities in Congress to push aside Democratic opposition, but they have run into a series of political and policy setbacks. Not all GOP lawmakers are on board with proposals to reduce spending on Medicaid, food stamps and other programs as a way to help cover the cost of extending some $3.8 trillion in Trump tax breaks
The 940-page bill was released shortly before midnight Friday. Senators were expected to take a procedural vote Saturday to begin considering the legislation, but the timing was uncertain. There would still be a long path ahead, with at least 10 hours of debate time and an all-night voting session on countless amendments.
Senate passage could be days away, and the bill would need to return to the House for a final round of votes before it could reach the White House.
Story continues below advertisement
'It's evolving,' said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., as he prepared to close up the chamber late Friday.
0:27
'We all are going to die': GOP senator defends Medicaid cuts
Make-or-break moment for GOP
The weekend session could be a make-or-break moment for Trump's party, which has invested much of its political capital on his signature domestic policy plan. Trump is pushing Congress to wrap it up, even as he sometimes gives mixed signals, allowing for more time.
At recent events at the White House, including Friday, Trump has admonished the 'grandstanders' among GOP holdouts to fall in line.
'We can get it done,' Trump said in a social media post. 'It will be a wonderful Celebration for our Country.'
Get daily National news
Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
The legislation is an ambitious but complicated series of GOP priorities. At its core, it would make permanent many of the tax breaks from Trump's first term that would otherwise expire by year's end if Congress fails to act, resulting in a potential tax increase on Americans. The bill would add new breaks, including no taxes on tips, and commit $350 billion to national security, including for Trump's mass deportation agenda.
Story continues below advertisement
But the spending cuts that Republicans are relying on to offset the lost tax revenues are causing dissent within the GOP ranks. Some lawmakers say the cuts go too far, particularly for people receiving health care through Medicaid. Meanwhile, conservatives, worried about the nation's debt, are pushing for steeper cuts.
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said he is concerned about the fundamentals of the package and will not support the procedural motion to begin debate.
'I'm voting no on the motion to proceed,' he said.
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., pushing for deeper cuts, said he needed to see the final legislative text.
14:10
U.S. Senator on Trump: 'That was the emergency he came up with'
After setbacks, Republicans revise some proposals
The release of that draft had been delayed as the Senate parliamentarian reviewed the bill to ensure it complied with the chamber's strict 'Byrd Rule,' named for the late Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va. It largely bars policy matters from inclusion in budget bills unless a provision can get 60 votes to overcome objections. That would be a tall order in a Senate with a 53-47 GOP edge and Democrats unified against Trump's bill.
Story continues below advertisement
Republicans suffered a series of setbacks after several proposals were determined to be out of compliance by the chief arbiter of the Senate's rules. One plan would have shifted some food stamp costs from the federal government to the states; a second would have gutted the funding structure of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
But over the past days, Republicans have quickly revised those proposals and reinstated them.
he final text includes a proposal for cuts to a Medicaid provider tax that had run into parliamentary objections and opposition from several senators worried about the fate of rural hospitals. The new version extends the start date for those cuts and establishes a $25 billion fund to aid rural hospitals and providers.
Most states impose the provider tax as a way to boost federal Medicaid reimbursements. Some Republicans argue that is a scam and should be abolished.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has said that under the House-passed version of the bill, some 10.9 million more people would go without health care and at least 3 million fewer would qualify for food aid. The CBO has not yet publicly assessed the Senate draft, which proposes steeper reductions.
Top income-earners would see about a $12,000 tax cut under the House bill, while the package would cost the poorest Americans $1,600, the CBO said.
Story continues below advertisement
SALT dispute shakes things up
The Senate included a compromise over the so-called SALT provision, a deduction for state and local taxes that has been a top priority of lawmakers from New York and other high-tax states, but the issue remains unsettled.
The current SALT cap is $10,000 a year, and a handful of Republicans wanted to boost it to $40,000 a year. The final draft includes a $40,000 cap, but for five years instead of 10.
Many Republican senators say that is still too generous. At least one House GOP holdout, Rep. Nick LaLota of New York, had said that would be insufficient.
Trump's deadline nears
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said Republicans dropped the bill 'in the dead of night' and are rushing to finish the bill before the public fully knows what's in it.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, who sent his colleagues home for the weekend with plans to be on call to return to Washington, had said they are 'very close' to finishing up.
'We would still like to meet that July Fourth, self-imposed deadline,' said Johnson, R-La.
With the narrow Republicans majorities in the House and Senate, leaders need almost every lawmaker on board to ensure passage. Johnson and Thune have stayed close to the White House, relying on Trump to pressure holdout lawmakers.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Toronto Star
14 minutes ago
- Toronto Star
Trump calls for a deal on the war in Gaza as signs of progress emerge
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday pleaded for progress in ceasefire talks in the war in Gaza, calling for a deal that would halt the fighting in the 20-month-long conflict as Israel and Hamas appeared to be inching closer to an agreement. An Israeli official said plans were being made for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to travel to Washington in the coming weeks, a sign there may be movement on a new deal. The official declined to discuss the focus of the visit and spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss plans that had not yet been finalized.
Toronto Star
2 hours ago
- Toronto Star
Trump calls for deal on Gaza war as signs of progress emerge
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday pleaded for progress in ceasefire talks in the war in Gaza, calling for a deal that would halt the fighting in the 20-monthlong conflict as the sides appeared to be inching closer to an agreement. An Israeli official said plans were being made for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to travel to Washington, D.C., in the coming weeks, a sign there may be movement on a new deal. The official declined to discuss the focus of the visit and spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss plans that had not yet been finalized.
Globe and Mail
2 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Letters to the editor, June 29:‘Aging egomaniacs around the world … dropping bombs on their perceived enemies. What do we do?'
Re:'What was the point of the conflict in Iran? To keep three men in power'(June 26): When kids fight and one hits another with a bat, a thoughtful parent would take the bat away, put them in separate corners to cool down and eventually shake hands to make peace. Now we have aging egomaniacs around the world, whose powers are waning, dropping bombs on their perceived enemies. What do we do? Do we take away the toys from oppressors acting like children? There is the opposite happening, and countries on the sidelines of the conflict are also encouraged to weapon up themselves. Shouldn't countries get together and encourage mutual disarmament? After all, who profits? The arms industry is making a killing. What countries and corporations are investing in planes and bombs? Is it in their financial interest to plead for peace? Of course Donald Trump wants other countries to contribute to the arms industry. War is big business. Melody Wales Squamish, B.C. Re 'Shifting winds' (Letters, June 26): A letter-writer argues that Doug Ford's controversial comments about Indigenous peoples, for which he apologized, are simply a reflection of a shift in public opinion away from sympathy for reconciliation. He describes himself as 'a tax-paying citizen and descendant of immigrants' who expected and received nothing from the government. I think, however, that immigrants to this country expected and received rather a lot from Indigenous peoples: Canada with all of its resources. The government may have had something to do with that. If only land acknowledgments, apologies and thank yous were enough. Anne Morris Mississauga Re 'Cambodia allowing 'slavery and torture' in scam compounds, report says' (June 26): The Khmer Movement for Democracy urges the Canadian government to take urgent action in response to a damning report on human rights abuses and cybercrime operations in Cambodia. Canada should move swiftly to protect not only Canadian victims of cyberscams, but also the countless individuals trapped and exploited in these brutal scam compounds. A crucial first step would be to impose sanctions on the Huione Group, which is reported to have facilitated up to US$4-billion (about $5.5-billion) in illicit transactions since 2021. While the United States has proposed banning the group from accessing its financial system, Canada has yet to respond – despite reports that Huione is now seeking a new licence. Canada has not participated in new sanctions against such cyberscams since 2023. The time has come for an independent investigation to identify those enabling these abuses, as well as co-ordinated international action to prevent further exploitation and uphold human rights. Mu Sochua Former Cambodian politician; president, Khmer Movement for Democracy; Providence, R.I. Re 'As Trump plans to overhaul manufacturing, U.S. factories struggle to fill nearly 400,000 jobs' (Report on Business, June 24): Why aren't younger people going into manufacturing jobs? For the last 40 years, many thousands of manufacturing jobs were eliminated by automation and outsourcing to countries with cheaper labour such as China. So with that in mind, can we blame younger people for not going into a field that looked like it had no future? Did no one look to the future to see the possible consequences of eliminating these jobs? Doug Payne London, Ont. Re 'How to crack open Canada's coddled egg market' (Editorial, June 20): While the number of farms in this country is generally on the decline, Canada's egg sector has seen the opposite outcome. Programs such as Egg Farmers of Alberta's new entrant program are actively adding egg farms to our food system. Why? Because the stability of supply management ensures egg farming is a viable career and this co-operative model supports their success. The administration of the system through provincial quota is critical in safeguarding the distribution of farms across the country, driving rural economic activity, enabling rapid response to disease outbreaks and delivering the fresh, local eggs Canadians want. This approach supports smaller farms and maintains a steady supply of high-quality, affordable eggs. That's not coddling, that's informed agricultural policy. Roger Pelissero Chair, Egg Farmers of Canada; West Lincoln, Ont. Re 'B.C. First Nations offer haven for Texada grizzly, but officials say relocation not an option' (June 21): Don't watch and wait, help Tex now. Inaction gets my goat. This grizzly's fate is at the mercy of the Minister of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship, Minister of Environment and Parks and the B.C. Conservation Officer Service. He needs new management. Tex is not a body of water, resource or park. He is someone who finds himself in the wrong place. Government stewards have no business leaving him on Texada Island to make a mistake, collide with humans and be killed. The chances of him leaving the island on his own are slim, so what are they waiting for? Decision-makers should accept help from other professionals who are knowledgeable, capable and willing to relocate Tex. Why is that so hard? Jennifer Azizi West Vancouver Re 'Amateur conductor pays Toronto Symphony Orchestra to lead Mahler performance, shocking some musicians' (June 20): I've heard far worse from bigger names for more money. It had some great moments and they nailed the end. I saw Mandle Cheung rely heavily on section heads and not immersed in the tempo. But it was, as the Toronto Symphony Orchestra's principal timpanist predicted, a solid performance. Unless we find ways to fund more classical performances, Mahler's Symphony No. 2 in C minor and other pieces requiring vast numbers of performers will likely go unheard. It was a casual, accessible night. Galas performances are year-long projects for donors. They take up large overhead and immense staff hours, with very little in the way of hard cash at the end. They often don't attract new audiences and their dollars. I don't like that extremely wealthy people exist and hold this kind of power in our time, but this is our reality – and hardly a fiasco here, as portended. Rosalind Robertson Toronto Re 'Billionaire founder of FedEx revolutionized freight transport' (Obituary, June 25): In the mid-1970s, I was with World Airways in Oakland, Calif. We had a guy come from Memphis who had flown in himself. This was Fred Smith, a plain-talking southerner who, even when seated, exuded energy. He wanted three DC-8 stretch aircraft on a wet lease with our crew, our fuel and landing and uplift costs. He wanted these in cargo configuration and explained that he planned to use them for a hub-and-spoke package delivery system in the United States, initially, then in Canada and elsewhere. He had the initial deposit, so the deal was signed. When he left, we mused as to whether or not the deal would survive. Of course it did work. Mr. Smith then bought his own planes which now fly the skies around the world. In the words of writer Hilaire Belloc: 'From quiet homes and first beginning, out to the undiscovered ends.' Jim Mulrooney Toronto Letters to the Editor should be exclusive to The Globe and Mail. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. Keep letters to 150 words or fewer. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. To submit a letter by e-mail, click here: letters@
