Senate Republican Sen. Ron Johnson has voiced doubts about the GOP’s ability to meet their self-imposed deadline to pass President Donald Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ before July 4. Johnson, a fiscal hawk, highlighted concerns over the nation’s deficit and the need for additional time to properly review the legislation. The Senate is currently working on different sections of the bill, with each committee presenting their portion and fine-tuning the content to align with Senate rules and address internal concerns within the Republican party.
Republican leaders are pushing to bring the full bill to the floor for a vote next week, ahead of the Independence Day recess. However, Johnson suggests that there is significant resistance to the bill and warns that the timeline might not be achievable. He emphasized the importance of thorough review and the need for a more extended period to assess the implications of the proposed spending cuts and changes, which could have a substantial impact on the nation’s fiscal health.
Johnson’s remarks came during a press call where he shared his 31-page report on the GOP’s efforts to push through the president’s agenda. The report outlines various scenarios regarding the deficit and economic growth based on different rates of compound annual growth. Johnson’s report is seen as a counterpoint to the Congressional Budget Office’s findings, but it also rejects the arguments made by Republican leaders and the White House regarding the fiscal health of the nation.
In addition to the concerns about the deficit, there are other issues such as debt-ceiling hikes and changes to Medicaid that have raised alarms. Johnson noted that there is a potential for a multi-faceted coalition to oppose the bill. He also suggested that Senate Majority Leader John Thune might be better off not putting the full bill on the floor next week, as the bill could be voted down. Johnson expressed a desire for the Senate to take more time to review and potentially break the megabill into smaller chunks to ensure a more thorough examination of the legislation.
Johnson has been advocating for the bill to be broken down into two or three parts rather than tackling it all at once. However, he also acknowledged that there needs to be a mechanism that allows lawmakers to have multiple opportunities to review the bill, similar to the approach used in the past. He has emphasized the importance of clarity and comprehensive understanding of the bill’s contents before proceeding, as President Trump has requested the Senate to make a better version of the legislation.