Senate GOP Faces Tight Deadline as Megabill Scramble Continues
Senate GOP leaders are under intense pressure to finalize and pass the massive, bipartisan megabill within two days, facing unresolved policy disputes and growing tensions within their own ranks. The bill, which aims to overhaul major aspects of the U.S. budget and tax code, is now in the throes of last-minute revisions and negotiations, with the Senate Majority Leader, John Thune, racing against the clock to secure a vote before the weekend.
One of the most contentious issues remains the state and local tax deduction (SALT), which has been a flashpoint between the House and Senate over the past months. Senate Republicans, led by Markwayne Mullin, are suggesting they could retain the $40,000 cap on SALT deductions if the income threshold is adjusted. However, this compromise has already been rejected by House Republicans, who are now warning that any version of the bill that doesn’t align with their original plan will face significant opposition in the lower chamber.
Meanwhile, the Medicaid cuts proposal has become a major sore point for rural hospitals and other providers. To address these concerns, Senate GOP leaders have floated a fund to offset the impact of proposed reductions, though this measure has already sparked debate among House Republicans, who are also skeptical about the bill’s viability in their chamber. Sens. Josh Hawley and Andy Harris have expressed concerns that the Senate’s version is straying from the House’s original design, potentially making passage even more difficult.
Public land sales remain another critical issue, with Sen. Mike Lee attempting to revise his original plan to sell millions of acres of public land following rulings that initially deemed his proposal noncompliant. After halving his original proposal, Lee is now pushing for a narrower version that excludes Forest Service lands and may be more palatable to the wider GOP leadership. However, his efforts have drawn fierce resistance from some western-state senators, who have remained vocal about their opposition to the plan.
As the deadline looms, Senate leaders are working closely with the parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough, whose rulings on the filibuster procedures have been instrumental in shaping the bill’s final form. While some committees have made progress in salvaging certain portions of the bill, such as the SNAP cost-sharing plan and the CFPB funding cuts, the overall picture remains uncertain. Senators are now anticipating that the first vote will likely be delayed until Friday at the earliest, with some openly skeptical about whether the package can pass in its current form.
Despite these challenges, Thune remains optimistic that the Senate will eventually pass some version of the megabill, stating, “We’ll eventually pass something.” However, with major policy disagreements unresolved and both chambers pushing back on key elements, the path to final passage remains anything but certain.
On the House side, the situation is no less complicated. House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris has warned that Senate Republicans are already straying from the House’s original plan, and the 38 House Republicans who recently issued a warning shot to Thune have made it clear that any deviation from their strict linkage between spending cuts and tax cuts will jeopardize the bill’s chances of passing their chamber.
Harris told POLITICO on Monday that “it looks like right now, with some of the scoring, it’s not working out,” and that if the Senate passes the bill in its current rumored form, it would likely face significant resistance in the House. This is particularly concerning for House Republicans, who are already aware that their chamber is divided on the megabill, with some moderates and fiscal hawks resisting certain provisions, while others are pushing for more aggressive cuts.
The growing divergence between the House and Senate is further exacerbated by the political stakes of the megabill itself. With the upcoming midterms approaching and the Senate’s majority in a state of flux, both chambers are acutely aware of the need to present a unified front on this issue. However, the current state of negotiations suggests that they may not be able to reconcile their differences in time to prevent a major setback in the legislative process.
Compounding these challenges is the fact that the megabill still needs to go through a series of committee reviews and final approvals, which will require a delicate balancing act between maintaining the bill’s core principles while making necessary compromises to secure enough support from both chambers. This process, known as the “Byrd bath,” has already created a rush to complete these steps, with multiple committees working simultaneously to revise their portions of the bill.
Sens. Ron Johnson, Mike Lee, and Rick Scott have also played a key role in navigating these challenges, as they have been directly engaged in discussions with President Donald Trump and his team. Trump’s public demand that fiscal hawks fall in line has created additional pressure for Senate Republicans to align their positions with the administration’s priorities, despite the ongoing debates between moderates and more hardline conservatives within the party.
Despite the intense pressure and uncertainty, the Senate remains committed to moving forward, and the final vote on the megabill is now seen as a key moment in shaping the legislative landscape for the remainder of the year. Whether or not the Senate can pass a version of the bill before the end of the week will have far-reaching implications for the administration’s agenda, the party dynamics within Congress, and the broader political climate ahead of the midterms.