President Donald Trump's "one, big, beautiful bill" appears in trouble in the Senate mainly due to proposed changes to Medicaid.
Hundreds of billions of dollars in Medicaid cuts concern some senators who believe the reductions would cause millions of Americans to lose their coverage and force rural hospitals into bankruptcy, The Hill reported.
Senators have been meeting behind closed doors and with White House officials as they rush to finish up the big bill ahead of the president's Fourth of July deadline. Much of the package, with tax breaks and bolstered spending on border security, is essentially drafted. But the size and scope of healthcare cuts are among the toughest remaining issues.
Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Ron Johnson, R-Wis., oppose the bill, and several other Republicans won't say whether they'll vote to begin debate on the package, The Hill added.
"The Senate cuts in Medicaid are far deeper than the House cuts, and I think that's problematic," Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said.
That would appear to jeopardize the plan of Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., to hold a vote this week.
Or would it?
One Republican source told The Hill that Thune plans to put the bill on the floor and essentially dare his GOP colleagues to block it.
"Honestly, I wish we'd have it up [on the floor] now. I don't see us moving anybody else more positively," the source told the outlet. "A couple of people have said they're not for it, but are they going to be the ones to take it down?"
Thune reportedly is willing to bet that some senators won't attempt to block the bill on the Senate floor and risk angering Trump, who will hold a Thursday rally for the legislation at the White House.
"Everybody's got their own vote. We're working with all of our members to try and get people comfortable with the bill, and hopefully, in the end, they'll be there," Thune said.
Asked whether the legislation remained on track to come to the floor Friday, Thune said, "We'll see."
Another problem concerning the Senate's proposed Medicaid cuts is that House members are opposed.
More than a dozen House Republicans who voted for deep Medicaid cuts have signed onto a letter opposing the Senate's version that calls for even steeper cuts, The Des Moines Register reported Thursday.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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