WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – House and Senate Republicans remain at odds over President Donald Trump’s signature tax and spend legislation, the so-called big, beautiful bill and now it seems less likely to pass by Republicans’ July 4th deadline.
Republicans still need to hash out major differences as the president tells them to just get it done.
“We feel very good about the path that we’re on. And, getting this across the finish line by the end of the week,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.).
Some House Republicans remain on the fence, leery of changes their Senate colleagues want to make.
“Either we have a deal, or we don’t. And we’re very far from the deal right now,” said Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.).
A major disagreement remains the state and local tax or SALT deductions, House GOP members want to raise the deduction to $40,000, whereas Senate Republicans want to keep it at the current $10,000 limit.
“I’m not sure if the Senate quite understands exactly how important this issue is to the House, especially five swing district members who helped build this majority here in the House,” said LaLota.
Another sticking point remains potential cuts to Medicaid provider taxes, which could hurt hospitals, especially in rural areas.
“We are working on a solution for rural hospitals. And that’s something that’s been in the works now for several days,” said Thune.
There’s also disagreements over child tax credits and clean energy funding.
Lawmakers are also at odds over allowing health savings accounts to pay for gym memberships or whether electric or hybrid car owners should have to pay an annual fee.
“The more Americans learn about this big, ugly bill, the more they hate it,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).
Democrats say if the House version was bad, what the Senate has is worse.
“Senate Democrats have been beating the drum, doing our best to reveal exactly what the bill does. And the more we learn about the bill, the more awful it is,” said Schumer.
Republicans disagree with that assessment, while also disagreeing amongst themselves on much of what’s in their own final version.
“This is the legislation that we believe implements the president’s agenda and makes our country safer, stronger and more prosperous,” said Thune.
The Senate may hold a vote by the end of this week or early next week.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
