The GOP's latest megabill casualties

Politico

11-06-2025

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IN TODAY'S EDITION:— House GOP to ax some megabill proposals— Mfume now pro-seniority amid Oversight race— MAHA spat between GOP senators, RFK Jr.
House Republicans will vote to make difficult changes to the GOP megabill today in an attempt to keep the bill on track in the Senate.
The House Rules Committee teed up a provision Tuesday night that would scrub the House-passed bill of problems the Senate parliamentarian flagged as threats to the measure's filibuster-skirting power, our Jennifer Scholtes, Meredith Lee Hill and Katherine Tully-McManus report.
The proposals getting axed include:
— Cracking down on the fraud-plagued employee retention tax credit created during the pandemic. House Republicans were relying on this for $6.3 billion in savings to offset spending in the bill.
— $2 billion for Pentagon military intelligence programs and $500 million to develop missiles. Losing this particularly irked many House GOP lawmakers.
— Allowing mining in a protected wilderness area in the Midwest. The contentious provision would have reversed then-President Joe Biden's move to protect the Boundary Waters area.
— Part of the policy ending increased food aid for households that also qualify for heating and cooling assistance. Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins previously complained about this.
— Extending a policy requiring federal agencies to procure a certain amount of biofuels or bio-based products.
By cutting these items, the bill retains its ability to pass the Senate with a simple majority, rather than 60 votes. While Senate Republicans are still mulling their own tweaks to the bill, and could seek to restore some of the measures now on the chopping block, these changes need to be fixed now before the Senate votes on it.
More policies could get slashed. In the coming weeks, expect Senate Republicans to start getting their first 'Byrd bath' rulings from the parliamentarian on additional GOP proposals under challenge from Democrats.
To help avoid a tough whip effort today, House GOP leaders are embedding the fixes in the procedural measure they're using to set up debate on the $9.4 billion rescissions package — legislation that even the most conservative Republicans support. That won't be the case when the bill comes back from the Senate in a few weeks, as leaders hope.
GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING. We hope to see you all at the Congressional Baseball Game tonight! Follow our live coverage at the Inside Congress blog at politico.com/congress and email your Inside Congress scribes at [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail] and [e-mail].
THE SKED
The House is in session and voting on the rule for the rescissions package that includes special language to amend the reconciliation package at 4:15 p.m.
— Democratic Leaders Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer will have a news conference on the GOP megabill at 10 a.m.
— Appropriations will have a full committee markup of the fiscal 2026 Agriculture-FDA bill at 10 a.m.
— Agriculture will hear testimony from Secretary Brooke Rollins at 10 a.m.
— Ways and Means will hear testimony from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent at 10 a.m.
— The Republican Study Committee will have its weekly lunch at 12:30 p.m.
The Senate is in session and voting on ending debate on Billy Long's nomination to be IRS commissioner at noon, on proceeding with landmark cryptocurrency legislation at 2 p.m. and on discharging resolutions that block the sale of certain arms to Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates around 4 p.m.
— Environment and Public Works will have a hearing on Sean McMaster's nomination to be administrator of the Federal Highway Administration at 10 a.m.
— Commerce will have a hearing on Bryan Bedford's nomination for FAA administrator at 10 a.m.
— Energy and Natural Resources will have a hearing on the president's fiscal 2026 budget request for the Interior Department at 10 a.m.
— Appropriations will have subcommittee hearings on the president's fiscal 2026 budget request for the Defense Department with testimony from Secretary Pete Hegseth at 10 a.m., for the Forest Service with testimony from Chief Tom Schultz at 10:30 a.m., for HUD with testimony from Secretary Scott Turner at 3:30 p.m. and for Treasury with testimony from Bessent at 4 p.m.
— Republicans will have a conference meeting at 2:30 p.m.
— The Congressional Baseball Game will start at 7:05 p.m. at Nationals Park.
The rest of the week: The House will take up the rescissions package and the HALT Fentanyl Act. The Senate will work through Trump's nominations and landmark cryptocurrency legislation.
THE LEADERSHIP SUITE
FIRST IN INSIDE CONGRESS: MFUME EMBRACES SENIORITY — Kweisi Mfume fled the House three decades ago over frustrations with Democrats' seniority system. Now Mfume, 76, is banking on the age-old practice as he vies for the party's top slot on House Oversight, our Nicholas Wu, Hailey Fuchs and Ben Jacobs report this morning.
Mfume's using an old-school sales pitch, too. Rather than provide a detailed agenda for taking on Trump and congressional Republicans, Mfume said he'll aim to build 'consensus' among panel Democrats on the best path forward. He wants to 'moderate' disagreements rather than brawl across the aisle. It's a sharp contrast to a Democratic base that's itching for more aggressive and younger leadership.
Some complicating factors for Mfume: He's the oldest in a four-person field that includes two candidates in their forties. Rep. Stephen Lynch, 70, has more seniority on the panel. Rep. Robert Garcia won the Congressional Hispanic Caucus' endorsement. Mfume is unlikely to win official support from the Congressional Black Caucus because another member, Rep. Jasmine Crockett, is also in the race. And Mfume's 2004 departure from the NAACP was marred by sexual harassment allegations, though Mfume denies wrongdoing.
Senior Republicans skipping Trump's military bash
Top Republicans including Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and the chairs of the House and Senate Armed Services committees won't be attending the president's multimillion-dollar military parade Saturday, Lisa, Calen and Mia report. In fact, among 50 Republicans we surveyed this week, only seven said they were staying in town to attend the Army's 250th birthday celebration (which is also Trump's 79th) — Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Byron Donalds, Elise Stefanik, Cory Mills, Rich McCormick, John McGuire and Lisa McClain.
The White House is shrugging off the absences; an official granted anonymity to discuss planning for the event said senior military leaders and at least 15 Cabinet secretaries are slated to attend. And GOP lawmakers broadly said they support the spectacle that could cost upwards of $40 million, though a few are balking at the price tag.
Thune says Trump's tax promises are here to stay
Thune said Tuesday that Trump's campaign-trail tax pledges will be included in the Senate's version of the megabill, even as some Republicans mull scaling back key provisions to help expand business tax incentives, our Jordain Carney reports.
'The president, as you know, campaigned hard on no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, social security, interest on car loans,' Thune told reporters. 'They were addressed in the House version of the bill and I expect they will be in the Senate, as well.'
Thune also said he'll likely return to the White House for another megabill meeting with Trump before week's end. Meanwhile, as negotiations continue over the Senate's megabill changes, SALT Republicans are seeking a meeting with Thune over the state-and-local-tax deduction, which could happen as soon as today. House Freedom Caucus members Chip Roy and Scott Perry crossed the Capitol Tuesday to meet with fellow deficit hawks Sens. Mike Lee, Rick Scott and Ron Johnson, Jordain scooped.
Scalise skeptical of Texas redistricting push
Count Scalise among the Republicans unnerved by the White House's push for Texas lawmakers to redraw the state's 38 U.S. House districts. Scalise on Tuesday cautioned that the effort — pitched as a measure to preserve the GOP majority in the midterms — shouldn't inadvertently put incumbents at risk. 'You have to balance a lot of things,' he told reporters.
Members of the Texas GOP House delegation didn't show much enthusiasm for the idea in their closed-door meeting Monday night, a person familiar with the discussions told Nicholas. They'll huddle with White House officials Thursday to discuss the redistricting plan further.
Johnson backs Trump's military force in LA
Speaker Mike Johnson is standing behind Trump's decision to dispatch both the National Guard and the Marines to Los Angeles amid clashes between protestors and law enforcement over ICE. He said there's a 'clear distinction' between condemning violent protesters in California and Trump pardoning rioters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, though he declined to elaborate.
Meanwhile, Collins broke with GOP leadership Tuesday over the issue.
'I would draw a distinction between the use of the National Guard and the use of the Marines,' Collins told reporters. 'Active duty forces are generally not to be involved in domestic law-enforcement operations.'
POLICY RUNDOWN
SCOOP: MAHA MEETING MELTDOWN — Key farm-state GOP senators had a tense meeting with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other Trump administration officials Tuesday over the Make America Healthy Again report, which criticized pesticide use, four people tell our Grace Yarrow. Senators in the meeting included Agriculture Chair John Boozman, Appropriations Agriculture Subcommittee Chair John Hoeven, Chuck Grassley, Cindy Hyde-Smith and Roger Marshall, along with Kennedy adviser Calley Means.
The three other people familiar with Tuesday's discussion described the tone as 'heated.' At one point, Kennedy pounded on the table, one individual said. 'If this was to try to calm people down, they failed miserably,' the person told Grace.
SIMPSON BUCKS THE WHITE HOUSE — Rep. Mike Simpson, a senior appropriator, is pushing back on White House budget chief Russ Vought's enthusiasm for so-called 'pocket rescissions,' which would allow the Trump administration to make permanent cuts to federal spending without congressional approval, our Katherine Tully-McManus and Meredith report.
'I think it's a bad idea,' Simpson told reporters Tuesday. 'It undermines Congress' authority.'
A pocket rescission refers to when the White House moves to claw back money already approved by Congress with fewer than 45 days left in the fiscal year, then withholds that funding through Sept. 30 in an attempt to cancel it permanently.
SENATE GOP SNAPS BACK — Senate Republicans are finalizing a scaled-down plan to shift some federal food aid costs to states as a way to pay for their megabill, five people with direct knowledge of the negotiations told Meredith and Grace.
The move to downsize the House-passed plan comes after intense pushback from Republican senators, including some of Trump's closest supporters. They're concerned that red states in particular would be hit with billions of dollars in new costs to administer the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which helps feed more than 40 million low-income Americans.
The reworked Senate plan under consideration would force states with the highest payment error rates to pay 15 percent of SNAP benefits — a lower rate than the House's 25 percent proposal. It also would scale down the costs for states with lower error rates, allowing some of them to avoid footing any of the cost-share for benefits.
REPUBLICANS BACK OFF MEDICARE CHANGES — Senate Republicans are bursting their own Medicare bubble after some lawmakers floated making changes to the program to help pay for their megabill, Jordain and Robert King report.
Sen. Kevin Cramer, among the first lawmakers to raise the possibility of including Medicare changes in the party-line package, conceded in an interview the concept lacked political momentum: 'There aren't many of us courageous enough to talk about it.'
Best of POLITICO Pro and E&E:
CAMPAIGN STOP
NORTON'S FLIP-FLOP — Eleanor Holmes Norton, D.C.'s nonvoting House delegate, said Tuesday she would seek reelection, only for her spokesperson to say hours later that the aging representative is 'in conversations' about retirement, Nicholas reports.
Norton, who turns 88 this week, has faced increasing concern about her capacity to continue serving in Congress, particularly as D.C. faces a Congress-induced budget shortfall.
SHERRILL ADVANCES IN N.J. GOV RACE — Rep. Mikie Sherrill clinched the Democratic nomination for New Jersey governor Tuesday night. The state's electorate leans blue, but the race between Sherrill and Trump-backed Republican Jack Ciattarelli is expected to be competitive. If Sherrill wins in November, there will be a special election to succeed her. Expect a crowded Democratic field there; her district favors Democrats, our Madison Fernandez writes in. Sherrill's the latest House Democrat elected in the party's 2018 wave to seek higher office.
TUNNEL TALK
DEMS HOPE TO AVOID ANOTHER SHELLACKING — Democrats are looking to break a four-game skid against Republicans in the Congressional Baseball Game tonight after getting blown out last year.
It's been ugly: Republicans have outscored Democrats 70-29 in the past four games, including a 20-run victory last year. The game is played at Nationals Park and benefits charities, including the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington.
Names to watch: Rep. Greg Steube has been the GOP's ace pitcher and won the MVP last year for Republicans. Sen. Eric Schmitt and Reps. August Pfluger, Morgan Luttrel and Brad Finstad are all dangerous hitters.
For the Democrats, Reps. Chris Deluzio, Peter Aguilar and Jimmy Panetta are among their heavy hitters. They've struggled to find a replacement on the mound for Cedric Richmond, who left the Hill for the Biden administration in 2021, but Aguilar and Deluzio have stepped in to help pitch in recent years.
The forecast: Elections analyst Nathaniel Rakich crunched the numbers and says the game is 'likely Republican.'
THE BEST OF THE REST
New Jersey Rep. LaMonica McIver indicted following ICE protest, from our Ry Rivard
Freedom Caucus chair leads in earmarks, Jack Fitzpatrick and Ken Tran at Bloomberg Government
Lawmakers Traded Stocks Heavily as Trump Rolled Out 'Liberation Day' Tariffs, from Katy Stech Ferek, Jack Gillum, James Benedict and Gunjan Banerji at The Wall Street Journal
'Super Cagey': Inside Rep. Mark Green's Mysterious Resignation From Congress, from Reese Gorman at NOTUS
CAPITOL HILL INFLUENCE
TELEHEALTH TAKEOVER — The American Telemedicine Association's lobbying arm is blanketing more than 40 Capitol Hill offices today in a bid to extend expanded pandemic-era access to virtual health care. Popular and broadly bipartisan telehealth flexibilities that started during the pandemic expire at the end of September.
'We are most definitely not standing by during the budget reconciliation process — there's just too much at stake,' ATA Action executive director Kyle Zebley said in a statement.
ALSO FLYING IN — Several trade groups are on the Hill this week to discuss the Trump administration's tariffs, including the National Retail Federation and the American Seed Trade Association, POLITICO Influence reports. Meanwhile CEOs with AdvaMed will meet with lawmakers today to try and win support for a new medtech Medicare coverage bill.
JOB BOARD
Cally Barry is now senior adviser and comms director for Rep. Ralph Norman. She most recently was comms director for Rep. Morgan Luttrell.
Marybeth Nassif is joining Jones Walker as a director in the government relations practice group. She previously was a professional staff member for the House Appropriations Committee.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Former Rep. Mike Conaway … CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz … Kim Oates of the House Radio/TV Gallery … J Street's Jeremy Ben-Ami … Cesar Gonzalez of Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart's office … Tad Devine of Devine Mulvey Longabaugh … Lorissa Bounds … Kristen Thomaselli ... Mary Kate Cunningham … CNN's Morgan Rimmer … Sofia Jones of the House Agriculture Committee … Jonathan Martinez of Haleon … Tamar Epps of the National Head Start Association … Amy Barrera of Thune's office … TJ Adams-Falconer
TRIVIA
TUESDAY'S ANSWER: Paul Hagner correctly answered that Richard Nixon was the first president to visit all 50 states while in office.
TODAY'S QUESTION, from Paul: William Henry Harrison had the shortest tenure as president. Who had the second shortest tenure?
The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Inside Congress. Send your answers to [e-mail].
CORRECTION: Yesterday's newsletter misstated the time of a House Democratic leaders press conference and misspelled Sang Yi's name — our apologies.