President Donald Trump is pressing Congress to enact his far-reaching spending and tax plan – the “One, Big, Beautiful Bill” or “megabill.” He’s urging them to pass it before the summer Independence Day holiday on July 4. Republican leaders are systematically intensifying their campaign to move the bill. Time is running out, and this legislation has emerged as a major priority for the new administration.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota is leading the charge to make that happen. Looking back, he characterizes himself as “never a total optimist. It’s encouraging that he appears to understand this, and the hurdles he must overcome to win broad support within his party. Republican leadership has been negotiating around the clock for days. We know how committed they are to lining up the votes in the Senate to move the bill past Harry Reid.
The bill has been subject to long and painful negotiations, culminating in late-breaking maneuvers to insert provisions intended to win over doubtful GOP legislators to spill their support. Save our (pay)checks Key figures including Reps. This is most notably U.S. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith of Missouri, and the legislation includes many different accounting sleights of hand.
As with any Senate legislative process, Senators have taken to a, literally, marathon voting session dubbed a vote-a-rama. In fact, this session has set a new records for going over 24 hours. It included dozens of amendments to the bill, revealing the arcane details and intensely fractious nature of the negotiations.
Newly inaugurated U.S. Vice President JD Vance taking his seat at the U.S. Capitol for the first time. He wanted to be prepared for a tie-breaking vote should the commission become deadlocked. Republican leadership has made preparations for Vance to cast this pivotal vote if necessary, underscoring the tight margins at play.
President Trump has indicated that he’d like to see this bill on his desk by July 4. As far as a specific date, he said, “maybe July 4, but somewhere around there. We appreciate his commitment to fighting for his legislative priorities to advance. Doing so ahead of a highly-visible national celebration of public service could be quite an accomplishment for his administration.
As these developments play out, the pressure continues to build on Senate Republicans to come together and solidify their support for the megabill. This bold spending and tax plan would be a game-changer politically. Just prepare to see its impact play out as we move into the summer months.