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Fox News
10 hours ago
- Health
- Fox News
Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' faces Republican family feud as Senate reveals its final text
Print Close By Alex Miller Published June 28, 2025 Senate Republicans unveiled their long-awaited version of President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill," but its survival is not guaranteed. Senate Budget Committee Chair Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., revealed the stitched-together text of the colossal bill late Firday night. The final product from the upper chamber is the culmination of a roughly month-long sprint to take the House GOP's version of the bill and mold and change it. The colossal package includes separate pieces and parts from 10 Senate committees. With the introduction of the bill, a simple procedural hurdle must be passed in order to begin the countdown to final passage. When that comes remains an open question. Senate Republicans left their daily lunch on Friday under the assumption that a vote could be teed up as early as noon on Saturday. HOUSE CONSERVATIVES GO TO WAR WITH SENATE OVER TRUMP'S 'BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL' Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., told Fox News Digital that he had "strongly encouraged" Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., to put the bill on the floor for a vote Saturday afternoon. "If you're unhappy with that, you're welcome to fill out a hurt feelings report, and we will review it carefully later," Kennedy said. "But in the meantime, it's time to start voting." But Senate Republicans' desire to impose their will on the package and make changes to already divisive policy tweaks in the House GOP's offering could doom the bill and derail Thune's ambitious timeline to get it on Trump's desk by the July 4 deadline. However, Thune has remained firm that lawmakers would stay on course and deliver the bill to Trump by Independence Day. When asked if he had the vote to move the package forward, Thune said "we'll find out tomorrow." TOP TRUMP HEALTH OFFICIAL SLAMS DEMOCRATS FOR 'MISLEADING' CLAIMS ABOUT MEDICAID REFORM But it wasn't just lawmakers who nearly derailed the bill. The Senate parliamentarian, the true final arbiter of the bill, ruled that numerous GOP-authored provisions did not pass muster with Senate rules. Any item in the "big, beautiful bill" must comport with the Byrd Rule, which governs the budget reconciliation process and allows for a party in power to ram legislation through the Senate while skirting the 60-vote filibuster threshold. That sent lawmakers back to the drawing board on a slew of policy tweaks, including the Senate's changes to the Medicaid provider tax rate, cost-sharing for food benefits and others. Republican leaders, the White House and disparate factions within the Senate and House GOP have been meeting to find middle ground on other pain points, like tweaking the caps on state and local tax (SALT) deductions. While the controversial Medicaid provider tax rate change remained largely the same, a $25 billion rural hospital stabilization fund was included in the bill to help attract possible holdouts that have raised concerns that the rate change would shutter rural hospitals throughout the country. On the SALT front, there appeared to be a breakthrough on Friday. A source told Fox News that the White House and House were on board with a new plan that would keep the $40,000 cap from the House's bill and have it reduced back down to $10,000 after five years. But Senate Republicans are the ones that must accept it at this stage. Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., has acted as the mediator in those negotiations, and said that he was unsure if any of his colleagues "love it." "But I think, as I've said before, I want to make sure we have enough that people can vote for than to vote against," he said. Still, a laundry list of other pocket issues and concerns over just how deep spending cuts in the bill go have conservatives and moderates in the House GOP and Senate pounding their chests and vowing to vote against the bill. Republican leaders remain adamant that they will finish the mammoth package and are gambling that some lawmakers standing against the bill will buckle under the pressure from the White House and the desire to leave Washington for a short break. Once a motion to proceed is passed, which only requires a simple majority, then begins 20 hours of debate evenly divided between both sides of the aisle. 'BABY STEPS': LEADER THUNE DETAILS HIS WORK TO CORRAL REPUBLICANS BEHIND TRUMP'S LEGISLATIVE VISION Democratic lawmakers are expected to spend the entirety of their 10 allotted hours, while Republicans will likely clock in well below their limit. From there starts the "vote-a-rama" process, when lawmakers can submit a near-endless number of amendments to the bill. Democrats will likely try to extract as much pain as possible with messaging amendments that won't actually pass but will add more and more time to the process. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Once that is complete, lawmakers will move to a final vote. If successful, the "big, beautiful bill" will again make its way back to the House, where House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., will again have to corral dissidents to support the legislation. It barely advanced last month, squeaking by on a one-vote margin. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent hammered on the importance of passing Trump's bill on time. He met with Senate Republicans during their closed-door lunch and spread the message that advancing the colossal tax package would go a long way to giving businesses more certainty in the wake of the president's tariffs. "We need certainty," he said. "With so much uncertainty, and having the bill on the president's desk by July 4 will give us great tax certainty, and I believe, accelerate the economy in the third quarter of the year." Print Close URL
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
'Wasteful spending': Sen. John Kennedy backs Trump's rescission package request, 'you be the judge'
Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) came out swinging on the Senate floor, voicing full support for US President Donald Trump's proposed $9.4 billion rescission package. In a fiery speech, Kennedy slammed what he called 'wasteful spending', foreign aid and public broadcasting projects funded by taxpayers and urged the American people to 'be the judge.' Show more Show less
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Daily Mail
MAUREEN CALLAHAN: On-screen wardrobe malfunctions humiliate Carolyn Bessette in death... but in life, suicidal JFK Jr treated her far worse
It's time, yet again, to take another bite out of the mythological Kennedy family carcass. Several bites, actually.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Daily Mail
MAUREEN CALLAHAN: There's a savage truth of JFK Jr and Carolyn Bessette's marriage... that America's legacy media STILL refuses to admit
It's time, yet again, to take another bite out of the mythological Kennedy family carcass. Several bites, actually.
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
GOP senators back up Trump on Israel-Iran conflict as MAGA base splits on issue
Senate Republicans largely lined up behind President Donald Trump's handling of the conflict between Iran and Israel and said they trusted Trump's judgment on whether the United States ought to involve itself. Trump said again Wednesday that he has not decided whether the U.S. should get more involved in the He signaled to reporters that he would decide at the last moment, stating he'd make the decision 'one second before.' The issue of getting more involved in the conflict has divided Trump's MAGA base, with some pointing to his campaign promise to keep America out of foreign wars. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a defense hawk who said he spoke to Trump last night, endorsed the use of force if diplomatic efforts fail. "Either you want them to have a nuclear weapon, or you don't," Graham said. "And if you don't, if diplomacy fails, you use force." MORE: Israel and Iran are waging an existential battle. What does it mean for the US?: ANALYSIS Most Republicans said that they agreed with Trump that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. "I think this is something on which the entire world can agree: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, or the ability to deliver a nuclear warhead, period," Sen. John Kennedy said. "American foreign policy is always a balance between ... between values and interests. The value here is obvious to everyone. Iran cannot have a bomb. It's just unthinkable, and I support the president unconditionally on that," Kennedy said. Sen. Mike Rounds said there is evidence that Iran was getting closer to building a nuclear weapon. "If Israel has a plan which is appropriate to take care of the problem, then we don't need to be there, but we should never take or eliminate options that are available to the president in exercising his authority as the commander-in-chief," Rounds said. Sen. Kevin Cramer said he would support Trump's decision if he decided to enter the conflict, but would also support a decision to instead "assist Israel in getting the job done." "Iran's made that really crystal clear. They pledged to wipe out the United States of America. I prefer not to let them get here," Cramer said. "I prefer preemptive prevention of war rather than having to end one after it gets to our soil, right?" MORE: Israel-Iran live updates Cramer said Trump has been handling the crisis "brilliantly"and applauded Trump's suggestion that he may or may not get involved. "I think that's pretty honest, right? I may or I may not. I think that that the element of of surprise, if you will, is maintained by an answer that doesn't tell you what he's going to do," he said. "It'd be crazy for the president to give a warning, if you will, of what he may do." Both Republicans and Democrats said they would like Congress to have a role in determining whether the U.S. gets involved in the conflict, but Republicans were much less forceful. "I would love to see Congress have a role, but we certainly don't have time in the midst of what we all see going on for Congress to sit and cogitate for six or eight months," Kennedy said. Democrats, on the other hand, said Trump should get Congress' approval before taking any military action. MORE: Trump on his 'unconditional surrender' demand to Iran: 'I've had it' "At some point, the president must come to Congress if there is to be active, kinetic military involvement that constitutes war. That's the Constitution, Sen. Richard Blumenthal said. "And I believe that the president has to face accountability at some point, for the use of military force in combat, in a war. And the question is, when that point is." Other Democrats said the U.S. should be trying to de-escalate the conflict rather than inflame it. "We don't need to escalate in Iran. That doesn't make anyone in the Middle East safer, and it certainly doesn't make the United States any safer right now, Sen. Elizabeth Warren said. "The role of the United States should be to help de-escalate, to push for negotiations, not to try to set more things afire."
