House Republicans do not have the votes to pass President Donald Trump’s tax and budget package, and leadership is doing everything they can to win over the final holdouts. Members were called back to Washington as leadership tried to get it approved before a self-imposed July 4 deadline.
The pressure to vote “yes” is enormous.
“I wouldn’t want to do a no vote and vote against President Trump. That’s for sure. Clearly, this is his agenda. Clearly, this is his legacy,” Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., said.
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The president hosted members at the White House on Wednesday, July 2. According to those in the room, he spent hours trying to reassure holdouts that the bill would be a boon.
Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., went to the meeting and said three main groups currently won’t support the legislation:
- Fiscal hawks concerned about the national debt.
- Swing seat members concerned about changes to Medicaid.
- Freedom caucus members who want to reinstate provisions removed by the Senate parliamentarian.
Trump’s pro-growth bill
Johnson also said the president countered the Congressional Budget Office’s assessment that the bill will add $3.3 trillion to the national debt over the next decade.
“President Trump made it clear this is a pro-growth bill,” Johnson told Straight Arrow News. “There’s tariff revenue coming in. We have not been accounting for that in quite the way as he would like, but it’s substantial. And also we’re going to have some substantial growth.”
“We know that there are still some deficit hawks like myself who wish that even more could have been cut. But politics of the art of the possible, a bill that was conservative enough to make dusty Johnson jump for joy simply could not get 218 votes in the House,” Johnson continued.
The president also had Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz explain the new Medicaid state-federal cost-sharing system, which will reduce a key tax states charge to fund their programs. The provider tax reduction from 6% to 3.5% was one of the reasons they added a $50 billion rural healthcare fund.
“I love the Senate changes on Medicaid. It clearly moved the bill more conservative in that way. It made me more excited about the bill,” Johnson said. “But yes, there are a number of members who are less conservative, who have real problems with the Medicaid changes that being said, as they learn more about the impacts of the Senate bill, they are getting more comfortable.”
Republicans struggle with ‘flawed bill’
Many Republicans admit the bill is flawed, but say failing to pass it will have worse consequences than doing nothing.
“Full disclosure? I wish we would, we would amend this bill and send it back to the Senate and then let them vote on it,” Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, told reporters.
Democrats are uniformly opposed to the bill and say it will cut healthcare, jobs and harm the economy.
“I am struck by the appalling ability of the members of the other side who are so afraid of this president,” Rep. Julie Johnson, D-Texas, said during debate on the House floor. “They are willing to lie to the American people because they fear the tweet of the president more than they fear the wrath of the voters at the ballot box.”
Republican leadership wants to pass the bill exactly as is. If they make any changes, it has to go back to the Senate before it can be signed into law.
