Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, told Newsmax on Thursday that he expects most of the crucial provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to be in the version the Senate passes, even though the Senate parliamentarian has stricken some because they don't conform to reconciliation rules.
Elizabeth MacDonough, the Senate parliamentarian since 2012, is an unelected official who advises senators on following the chamber's rules. Earlier this week, she determined that many provisions in the signature legislation of President Donald Trump's second term did not qualify for budget reconciliation under the Byrd Rule.
The reconciliation package must undergo a "Byrd bath" to eliminate all provisions that the parliamentarian believes are more about making policy changes than adjusting the federal budget. Such eliminated provisions would need 60 votes to pass a filibuster, a tough task for the Republican majority, given how divided the Senate is.
But Cruz told "Rob Schmitt Tonight" that it's too early for Democrats to declare victory over the parliamentarian's decisions.
"What they're ignoring is the way this process works is sometimes you get a ruling from the parliamentarian, and then you go and redraft the provision even slightly, and it gets back in there," Cruz said. "And so I would say at this point, don't get too excited about the headlines that the Democrats are putting out there. Wait until the process is complete.
"Ultimately, the Senate majority has the authority, but the process is iterative. And I think we are going to get most of the provisions that are really critical. I think they're going to remain in the bill. They're going to be signed into law."
MacDonough reportedly removed several Medicaid-related provisions such as altering how states can tax Medicaid providers, reducing the allowable state provider tax rate from 6% to 3% by 2031, barring Medicaid from covering gender transitions, and denying Medicaid coverage to illegal immigrants. She also voided a provision barring Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits for illegal immigrants and shifting some SNAP costs to states, as well as a measure restricting federal courts' power to issue nationwide injunctions.
"What I would say is it's an ongoing process," Cruz said. "And so the Democrats are running and putting out press releases before there's a final resolution. And often what happens is that the majority can make even slight revisions to a provision, and it gets back in there. So I want to wait and see where we end up before getting too excited one way or the other."
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Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.