Johnson says he has the votes to pass the GOP megabill
'We'll get this. We'll land this plane before July 4,' he told reporters.
GOP leaders are barreling towards a final passage vote on the megabill as soon as this afternoon after pulling an all-nighter to advance the bill over the initial opposition of conservative holdouts upset at changes the Senate made to the package. Still, Johnson told reporters that while GOP lawmakers needed 'time to digest' the Senate's changes, many of their concerns were allayed with the help of President Donald Trump and his administration.
'The president helped answer questions. We had Cabinet secretaries involved, and experts in all the fields, and I think they got there,' he said.
He brushed aside concerns about Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), a purple-district lawmaker who was the sole lawmaker to oppose the procedural vote, saying he 'tried to encourage him to get to a yes' though Johnson acknowledged Fitzpatrick has 'got a number of things he's just concerned about.'
The final vote has been delayed by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries' so-called 'magic minute,' or the unlimited speaking time granted to party leaders that's been stretched into its sixth hour. Jeffries could break the all-time record set by then-House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who spoke for about eight and a half hours in 2021 to delay passage of Democrats' domestic policy package.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
19 minutes ago
- The Hill
Inside Trump's push to pass the ‘big, beautiful bill'
With the signature policy bill of President Trump's second term hanging in the balance this week, the president and his allies got to work, using a mixture of vinegar and honey to win over skeptics and ensure its final passage. It was a week of late night meetings and phone calls, stern posts on social media and cordial discussions at the White House as Trump and top advisers sought to win over skeptics of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Sources close to the White House argued Trump's dominance within the Republican Party and the political risks of drawing his ire loomed large as the administration corralled votes. But they also pointed to assurances the White House made to lawmakers to win their support as a sign that it was not just threats that got enough Republicans to 'yes.' Trump is expected to sign the legislation on Friday after it passed the Senate on Tuesday and the House on Thursday as both chambers embarked on marathon rounds of voting procedure, including pulling several all-nighters. 'The president's focus on relationships carried us through in kind of a cascade here when it came to be crunch time and the president was asking people to take tough votes, to come together, to unify,' a senior Trump White House official told reporters on Thursday. 'I've lost count of the number of meetings the president's had. I mean, putting the president on speaker to groups of members,' the official added. 'I mean, really, he's the omnipresent force behind this legislation.' The bill took an exceptionally arduous path through both chambers. The House passed its initial version of the bill in May but once it got to the Senate, lawmakers there embarked on significant haggling and hand-wringing of Republicans who took issue with Medicaid cuts and what it meant for the national debt. The upper chamber spent the entire past weekend working to get the measure through before it eventually passed on Tuesday. The process even saw one high profile Republican, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), announce he wouldn't seek reelection after expressing opposition to the bill, showcasing once again Trump's decade-long power over the party. White House officials also pointed to Vice President JD Vance as a key player in wrangling the necessary votes in the Senate, where Vance served for two years before being elected vice president. Vance attended GOP conference lunches for weeks leading up to the final votes, answering questions and defending the legislation. The vice president spent hours in the Senate this week leading up to the final vote, and he met with Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), a key swing vote, before she ultimately backed the bill in what she later described as an 'agonizing' decision. After its narrow passage in the Senate, it was back to the House, where White House officials pushed about a handful of GOP conservative and moderate lawmakers there to get behind the measure. Trump and Vance hosted conservative House Republicans at the White House on Wednesday for a conversation that appeared to ease concerns among some conservatives. Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) after the meeting described Trump as 'wonderful as always. Informative, funny, told me he liked seeing me on TV, which is kind of cool.' Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), a member of the House Freedom Caucus who had indicated previously he would vote against the bill, said he was persuaded to vote in favor after getting assurances from the president that certain issues would be dealt with through executive action. White House officials on Thursday did not address any specific executive action that was promised. In terms of assurances, the officials said the administration worked with lawmakers to answer questions about the implementation of Medicaid changes and how it would affect their districts. Still, the bill was in a precarious state after several House Republicans had either voted against adopting the rule on the bill, a necessary procedural step before a full vote, or withheld their votes. As Trump and his team worked behind the scenes, prominent MAGA world figures went public with their calls for Republicans to fall in line. 'If you vote with the Democrats, you're not voting with the Republicans. Buckle the f— up. It's a binary choice,' longtime Trump adviser Jason Miller posted on X late Wednesday night. The Hill reported that Trump spoke with a handful of Republican holdouts around 1 a.m. Thursday as House GOP leaders were whipping votes to overcome a final procedural hurdle. 'His numbers are stronger than ever before with the Republican base. Republican voters are happier with him now than ever before,' one Trump ally told The Hill. 'Essentially, if you kind of screw with him, you've got a 95 percent chance of getting thrown in the blender.' Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.) and Burchett all voted to advance the legislation. By the time the House adopted the rule around 3 a.m. Thursday in a 219-213 vote, its final passage was something of a foregone conclusion. But not before Democrats would stall the next step. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffires (D-N.Y.) held the House floor for more than 8 hours starting early Thursday morning to excoriate the the bill, breaking the record for the longest speech on the floor. The final vote eventually took place on Thursday afternoon, with thelegislation passing in a 218-214 vote. Two Republicans voted against it. 'Congrats to everyone. At times I even doubted we'd get it done by July 4!' Vance posted on X after the House vote. 'But now we've delivered big tax cuts and the resources necessary to secure the border. Promises made, promises kept!' The bill will likely be the signature piece of legislation of Trump's second term, especially if Republicans do not retain control of both chambers of Congress in next year's midterms. The bill will extend the tax cuts Trump signed into law in 2017, plus add temporary tax cuts on tipped and overtime wages. It will provide additional funding for border security, allowing the administration to press forward with aggressive deportations and crack down on those crossing the southern border. But the legislation also makes cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) as a way to offset some of the spending. Those changes, which will take effect in the coming years, have caused consternation among some Republicans and have been the focus of outrage from many Democrats who warn it will cost millions of Americans health insurance and lead to the closures of some rural hospitals. Polling ahead of the bill's passage also showed the public appeared skeptical of the massive piece of legislation. A Quinnipiac University poll released last week found 55 percent of voters opposed the bill. A Fox News poll published Monday showed 59 percent opposed the bill. White House officials argued the bill would age well with voters as they learned more about what's in it. 'As the public learns about the pieces of the legislation and the Republican Party educates the voters on what is actually in the bill, you will see an overwhelming political boon for Republicans,' a senior White House official said. 'And you will see Democrats have just taken a very toxic vote.'
Chicago Tribune
26 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
Hakeem Jeffries took his ‘sweet time' holding the floor to delay President Trump's tax bill
WASHINGTON — There's no filibuster in the House, but Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries essentially conducted one anyway. Jeffries held the House floor for more than eight hours Thursday, taking his 'sweet time' with a marathon floor speech that delayed passage of Republicans' massive tax and spending cuts legislation and gave his minority party a lengthy spotlight to excoriate what he called an 'immoral' bill. As Democratic leader, Jeffries can speak for as long as he wants during debate on legislation — hence its nickname on Capitol Hill, the 'magic minute,' that lasts as long as leaders are speaking. He began the speech at 4:53 a.m. EDT and finished at 1:37 p.m. EDT, 8 hours, 44 minutes later, breaking the record set by then-Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California in 2021, when he was the GOP leader. McCarthy spoke for 8 hours, 32 minutes when he angrily criticized Democrats' 'Build Back Better' legislation, breaking a record set by Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., when she spoke about immigration for 8 hours, 7 minutes in 2018. 'I feel an obligation, Mr. Speaker, to stand on this House floor and take my sweet time,' Jeffries said as he opened. The speech pushed a final vote on Republican President Donald Trump's tax bill, initially expected in the early morning, into the daylight hours. The New York Democrat used the time to criticize the bill's health care and food aid cuts, tax breaks for the wealthy and rollbacks to renewable energy programs, among other parts of the bill that Democrats decry. He also killed time by riffing on hip-hop, King George III and his own life story, among other diversions. He called out Republicans who have voiced concerns about the bill, read stories from people concerned about their health care from those GOP lawmakers' districts and praised his own members, some of whom sat behind him and cheered, clapped, laughed and joined hands. 'This reckless Republican budget is an immoral document, and that is why I stand here on the floor of the House of Representatives with my colleagues in the House Democratic caucus to stand up and push back against it with everything we have,' Jeffries said. He ended the speech in the cadence of a Sunday sermon, with most of the Democratic caucus in a tight huddle around him. One colleague called out, 'Bring it home, Hakeem!' 'We don't work for President Donald Trump,' Jeffries said, as a handful of Republicans across the aisle sat silent and occasionally snickered at the leader as he kept talking. He invoked the late John Lewis, a civil rights activist in the 1960s and longtime Democratic congressman from Georgia. 'Get into good trouble, necessary trouble,' Jeffries said. 'We're going to press on until victory is won.' Jeffries sneaked small bites of food and drank liquids to boost his energy, but did not leave the chamber or his podium. The speech would be over if he did. Democrats were powerless to stop the huge bill, which Republicans are passing by using an obscure budget procedure that bypasses the Senate filibuster. So they were using the powers they do have, mostly to delay. In the Senate, Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York forced Senate clerks to read the bill for almost 16 hours over the weekend. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., similarly gained attention in April when he spoke for more than 25 hours on the Senate floor about the first months of Trump's presidency and broke the record for the longest continuous Senate floor speech in the chamber's history. Booker was assisted by fellow Democrats who gave him a break from speaking by asking him questions on the Senate floor, but Jeffries' 'magic minute' did not allow for any interaction with other members. Republicans who were sitting on the floor when Jeffries started trickled out, leaving half the chamber empty. When the speech was over, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., called it 'a bunch of hogwash.' The speech 'will not change the outcome that you will see very shortly,' Smith said. After the bill passed, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said that Democrats 'wanted to speak for hours and hours and break records because they wanted to stand in the way of history.'
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
A group of lawmakers attempt to visit ‘Alligator Alcatraz' amid humanitarian concerns
Florida lawmakers worried about 'humanitarian concerns' are attempting to access 'Alligator Alcatraz' Thursday to inspect the grounds of the new detention center, just hours after the arrival of its first group of detainees. 'What's happening here is un-American,' Florida state Sen. Shevrin Jones and four other Democratic state lawmakers said in a joint news release. 'What we're witnessing isn't about security or solving problems—it's about inhumane political theater that endangers real people.' The lawmakers spoke to reporters outside the facility Thursday afternoon but it's unclear whether they were allowed inside. Detainees arrived at the facility in the middle of the Florida Everglades, the Florida Division of Emergency Management said Thursday, following reports of flooding earlier this week. The lawmakers noted there have been reports of extreme heat, structural issues, environmental threats, and human rights violations that 'demand immediate oversight.' President Donald Trump toured the facility Tuesday and shortly after, summer storms amid the region's hurricane season brought flooding to it, adding to a list of concerns about the facility's readiness to house migrants. Wires were seen submerged in pooling water across the floor and high winds made the facility's floor and walls tremble, reporter video from CNN affiliate Spectrum News 13 showed. A combination of weather observations and estimates from radar indicate that anywhere from around 0.40 to 1.5 inches of rain fell at the facility in less than two hours on Tuesday, according to CNN Weather. Later that night, 'vendors went back and tightened any seams at the base of the structures that allowed water intrusion during the heavy storm, which was minimal,' Stephanie Hartman, a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Emergency Management, told CNN. But more rainfall could be on the horizon amid the region's hurricane season and the chance for storms in the forecast every day in the next week, according to CNN Weather. It's unclear how many detainees are currently being housed at the compound as of Thursday, but it has the capacity to hold 3,000 people, with room for more, Kevin Guthrie, executive director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, said in a roundtable Tuesday alongside Trump. Tricia McLaughlin, the assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, said authorities will 'expand facilities and bed space in just days.' Nestled in the middle of Florida's humid, subtropical wetland ecosystem, 'Alligator Alcatraz' was transformed from a training and transition airport to a temporary tent city for migrants. The expected cost to run the detention center for one year is $450 million, a Department of Homeland Security official told CNN, adding that Florida will front the costs of the facility and then 'submit reimbursement requests' through FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the facility is necessary to alleviate burdens on the state's law enforcement agencies and jails, and touted it for being designed to be 'completely self-contained' – which has prompted local immigration rights advocates to accuse the DeSantis administration of creating a facility 'engineered to enact suffering.' 'Clearly from a security perspective, if someone escapes, there's a lot of alligators you're going to have to contend (with),' DeSantis said last week. 'No one is going anywhere once you do that. It's as safe and secure as you can be.' Migrants will be housed in repurposed FEMA trailers and 'soft-sided temporary facilities,' a Department of Homeland Security official told CNN. The same tents are often used to house those displaced by natural disasters, like hurricanes, DeSantis' office said. They likely will provide the only shelter from mother nature as summer in South Florida proves to be the region's wettest season, in part due to the tropical activity of hurricane season and daily thunderstorms. State officials said they are developing evacuation plans for the facility in the event of severe weather. CNN's Devon M. Sayers, Chelsea Bailey and Luke Snyder contributed to this report.
