President Donald Trump is declaring that Republicans are “making great progress” as the GOP conference wrangles with key policy holdups that could delay the package central to his agenda, Politico reports.
…
“Senate GOP leaders said Wednesday that the House isn’t being nearly aggressive enough in its drive to cut federal spending — including Medicaid — as part of the budget reconciliation talks,“ Punchbowl News reports.
“The private comments from Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Finance Committee Chair Mike Crapo (R-ID) mark a significant change in tune from Senate Republicans, who have sought to temper expectations among fiscal hawks in both chambers.”
…
“House GOP tax writers are eyeing a scaled-back $4 trillion tax cut amid concerns their colleagues will not be able to come up with the full slate of spending cuts required under their budget plan,” Politico reports.
“Nothing is final, and Republicans are still hoping for a full $4.5 trillion tax cut, but they’re making contingency plans as colleagues struggle to find agreement on how to cut Medicaid and a slew of other government initiatives.”
…
“Moderate Republicans will likely be anti-abortion advocates’ biggest hurdle in their mission to ban federal funding from Planned Parenthood in a reconciliation package — and some are already voicing their opposition,” NOTUS reports.
“Reps. Mike Lawler, Brian Fitzpatrick and Jen Kiggans were among the moderate Republicans who made it clear to House GOP leadership that they oppose adding a measure to cut federal funding to Planned Parenthood to a reconciliation bill.”
…
A new CBO analysis shows that several policies Republicans are considering for slashing Medicaid spending would lead to millions of people losing health insurance coverage.
….
“House Republicans have added a plan to raise billions of dollars to help pay for US President Donald Trump’s massive tax cuts through the sale of thousands of acres of federal land — a politically charged idea that has drawn opposition from some in their own party,” Bloomberg reports.
“The plan, a late-night addition to a legislative package approved early Wednesday by the House Natural Resources Committee, mandates the sale of dozens of parcels totaling more than 11,000 acres of federal land in Utah and Nevada.”
More on the knuckle dragging Trump ‘Big Bill’ trails and tribulations…
The fate of President Donald Trump’s tax legislation may rest on whether the GOP can find common ground on tax breaks for high earners in predominantly Democratic states — and the issue also could cost House Republicans their majority next year.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) and a band of moderate Republican rebels are at loggerheads over how to handle changes to the state and local tax deduction, often called SALT. That provision allows individuals or married couples to subtract the amount they paid in state taxes from their federal tax bill, but it’s been capped at $10,000 — well below what many taxpayers owe, especially in high cost-of-living areas — since 2017.
Even though it was his Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that limited the deduction, Trump made changing the cap one of a long list of campaign tax promises. All told, the tax plans he’s made could cost up to $11 trillion over the next decade if Congress enacts them all, according to nonpartisan estimates…
More…
Reports are that Trump is privately advocating Republicans raising taxes on the wealthy.
I doubt such will happen,but if it does ?
Another nail in the coffin of the Republican Party pre 2016.
His Democratic side Jack, eh?
Republicans fall further apart on Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’
House Republicans are falling further apart in negotiations on a reconciliation package that represents President Trump’s first-year legislative agenda, with just weeks to go before their self-imposed deadline.
GOP lawmakers sent conflicting signals Wednesday on how to cut Medicaid, indicating they were no closer to a deal on one of the biggest points in their internal negotiations.
On another key issue, raising the state and local tax (SALT) deduction cap, they lost ground in talks to reach a compromise.
Republicans said they would pass a package Trump has described as his “big, beautiful bill” by the Memorial Day recess, which was always seen as an ambitious goal.
With the first full week of May nearly at a close, they appear to have their work cut out for them….
More…