Trump’s massive agenda bill faces headwinds in the Senate after key ruling from chamber’s rules referee
CNN
The timeline to pass President Donald Trump’s sweeping domestic policy bill by July 4 could slip as Republican lawmakers scramble to retool their bill to meet Senate rules and garner enough support in a deeply divided GOP conference.
The timeline to pass President Donald Trump’s sweeping domestic policy bill by July 4 could slip as Republican lawmakers scramble to retool their bill to meet Senate rules and garner enough support in a deeply divided GOP conference. Senate GOP leaders had hoped to move Trump’s massive agenda in their chamber by Saturday morning, giving it to Speaker Mike Johnson to jam it through the House by Tuesday — so the president could sign it by the Fourth of July. But Thursday morning, the Senate’s rules referee, parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough, struck down key provisions, saying they don’t meet the chamber’s strict budget rules that must be followed so the bill can be approved by a simple majority of 51 votes – or just GOP support. “We don’t control the timing of the parliamentarian. That’s obviously something that we have to adapt to but we’re plowing forward and when we actually get on it still is an open question, but rest assured we will,” Senate Republican Leader John Thune told reporters when asked about bill timing, saying they have “contingency plans” for such “speed bumps.” Chief among the denied provisions is the GOP’s proposed changes to taxes that states can impose to help pay for Medicaid coverage – an issue known as the provider tax – which could have raised $200 billion to pay for programs in the bill. Now, Republican leaders are scrambling to retool the provision so it can both meet Senate rules and pass muster with a divided Senate GOP conference. It’s unclear how long that process will take, according to several senior GOP sources.
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Speaker Mike Johnson is a political survivor, weathering crisis after crisis since his unlikely ascent two years ago.
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President Donald Trump has hired a new architect for the White House ballroom amid disputes between the president and his architect originally contracted to complete the project, several sources have told CNN.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth risked compromising sensitive military information that could have endangered US troops through his use of Signal to discuss attack plans, a Pentagon watchdog said in an unclassified report released Thursday. It also details how Hegseth declined to cooperate with the probe.