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Jun 26, 2025  |  
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Ramsey Touchberry


NextImg:Vote on Trump tax bill risks delay as Thune battles Senate holdouts

Senators will likely forfeit their weekend as Republican leaders contend with GOP holdouts and policy setbacks on President Donald Trump’s tax and spending proposal.

Balancing fiscal hawks concerned about increasing the national debt and “Medicaid moderates” opposed to slashing the low-income government healthcare program is complicating the Senate GOP’s path to passing the filibuster-skirting bill.

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Also throwing up roadblocks is the Senate parliamentarian, who has ruled that dozens of provisions violate the so-called Byrd Rule and cannot pass with a simple majority unless changes are made.

“These are setbacks — short-term setbacks,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said. “Speed bumps, if you will. But we’re focused on the goal.”

President Donald Trump speaks at an event to promote his domestic policy and budget agenda in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, June 26, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
President Donald Trump speaks at an event to promote his domestic policy and budget agenda in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, June 26, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Many of the stricken provisions can be brought into compliance with minor technical changes, according to GOP lawmakers and aides. Republicans already on board with the bill see their self-imposed July 4 deadline to land the One Big Beautiful Bill Act on Trump’s desk as crucial to advancing the president’s domestic priorities on taxes, energy, and the border. GOP leaders fear extending the deadline could spell doom for the month of delicate negotiations that have led them to this point.

Others who remain opposed — such as Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), who argues Medicaid changes could prompt rural hospital closures — see no rush to the finish line.

“If I were the leader, I wouldn’t let anybody go home,” Hawley said. “I’d keep everybody here and get this done.”

Once a procedural vote to advance the legislation is held, up to 20 hours of debate will follow, followed by a marathon amendment session known as vote-a-rama. Aides, lawmakers, and reporters alike loathe this process, which often keeps senators voting through the night on mostly ill-fated changes proposed by the minority.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), center, joined at left by Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), the GOP whip, speaks to reporters after Republican senators met with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and worked on President Donald Trump’s tax and immigration megabill so it can be on his desk by July 4, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

If and when it’s passed, the measure will return to the GOP-controlled House, where it will face another onslaught of criticism from fiscal hawks, “Medicaid moderates,” and blue-state Republicans demanding steeper state and local tax deductions.

Senate Republicans on Thursday continued to tweak provisions ruled noncompliant with the Byrd Rule, which applies to the yearly budget reconciliation process and requires all language to have a direct fiscal effect.

Trump held an event that afternoon at the White House promoting the bill, which he called “one of the most important pieces of legislation in the history of our country.”

“There’s something for everybody,” Trump added, nodding to its sprawling size and scope.

Several holdouts were in attendance, including Sens. Ron Johnson (R-WI) and Mike Lee (R-UT), whose opposition is rooted in projections that the legislation will swell the national debt by trillions of dollars over the next decade.

BYRD DROPPINGS: TRUMP TAX BILL PROVISIONS RULED OUT BY SENATE PARLIAMENTARIAN

Johnson described the event to the Washington Examiner shortly before heading to the White House as a “mass arm-twisting” effort.

To learn more about House and Senate lawmakers on the fence, follow the Washington Examiner’s Big Beautiful Bill holdout guide: