‘Big, beautiful bill’ now in the hands of the Senate
WASHINGTON (CBS, KYMA/KECY) - President Donald Trump has set a July 4 deadline for when he wants Congress to deliver the tax cut and spending bill to his desk.
The legislation is now in the hands of the Senate, where there are divisions over what changes to make to the bill.
With lawmakers back on Capitol Hill, Senate Republicans are facing new pressure to pass what President Trump has called his "one, big beautiful bill."
"This is going to be a tough exercise," Senator John Neely Kenendy (R-LA).
Senator Kennedy acknowledges there will be changes to what the House passed last month.
"I can promise you that we could spend four weeks, we could spend four years, and when we're done, not every Republican senator is going to want a French kiss this final product. It's just not going to happen," Kennedy explained.
Trump is airing frustration with Republican holdouts on social media. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) says the bill in its current form will "explode the debt."
"It's just not a conservative thing to do, and I've told him I can't support the bill if they're together. If they were to separate out and take the debt ceiling off that, I very much could consider the rest of the bill," Senator Paul expressed.
Speaking with Face the Nation moderator Margaret Brennan Sunday, Paul was asked if he considers Trump's social media post saying, "Kentucky will never forgive you," if he doesn't vote in favor of the bill, Paul responded saying:
"I had a very good conversation with the President this week about tariffs. He did most of the talking, and we don't agree exactly on the outcome. But when I come home to Kentucky, I talk to the Farm Bureau, which is opposed to the tariffs. I talked to the bourbon industry which is opposed to the tariffs. I talked to the cargo companies, UPS, DHL, all their pilots are opposed to it. I talked to the hardwood floor people. I talked to the people selling houses, building houses. I have no organized business interests in Kentucky for the tariffs. So I think it's worth the discussion, and it's worth people remembering that the Republicans used to be for lower taxes. Tariffs are a tax. So, if you raise taxes on the private sector, that's not good for the private sector."
Others including Maine's Susan Collins, Alaska's Lisa Murkowski and Missouri's Josh Hawley have expressed concerns about cuts to Medicaid and the potential impact for low-income Americans and rural hospitals.
The House-passed legislation includes new work requirements for Medicaid that would apply to childless adults without disabilities.
President Trump spent Monday speaking by phone with some of the concerned Senators, and the White House argues Republicans who don't support the bill are voting to raise taxes on Americans.
"That is unacceptable to Republican voters and all voters across the country who elected this president in a Republican majority to get things done on Capitol Hill," said Karoline Leavitt, Press Secretary for the White House.
Senate Republicans can only afford three "no" votes, if all Democrats oppose the bill.
The bill is moving through the Senate under the process known as "reconciliation," meaning it only requires a simple majority, not the typical 60 vote threshold to bypass a filibuster.
