Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is urging Senate Republicans to swiftly pass President Donald Trump's sweeping economic legislation, warning that delays or major revisions could jeopardize the administration's agenda and stall vital reforms, The Hill reported.
Gingrich is calling on Senate Republicans to move quickly on Trump's "big, beautiful bill," legislation the House passed Thursday morning that aims to block tax increases, slash regulatory burdens, and eliminate waste in federal spending.
Gingrich, who helped lead four consecutive balanced budgets during his speakership, appeared Friday on Fox News' "Jesse Watters Primetime" and stressed the importance of unity and forward momentum.
"You have to chip away at these things. Get the best you can, plan to come back again next year or come back this fall on the appropriations bills, but keep moving," Gingrich told guest host Kayleigh McEnany. "It blocks a huge tax increase; it creates [a] much better regulatory environment. It takes out a great deal of the waste in government. It's not perfect."
The 1,116-page legislation faces scrutiny from several Senate Republicans. Key fiscal hawks, including Sens. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., and Rand Paul, R-Ky., have raised alarms about its impact on the national debt and lack of deeper spending cuts.
"There should be a goal of this Republican Senate budget resolution to reduce the deficit, not increase it. We're increasing it. It's a nonstarter from my standpoint," Johnson said this week. He estimated that "at least" four GOP senators would oppose the measure unless significant revisions are made.
The Congressional Budget Office projects that the legislation would add $3.8 trillion to the national debt.
Some Senate Republicans are also pushing back on proposed Medicaid reforms. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said she is "very worried" that federal Medicaid funding cuts could threaten rural hospitals. Meanwhile, Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., wants to refocus Medicaid eligibility.
"Medicaid ought to go back and do what it was set up to do. It was set up to take care of poor children and the chronically ill, and that's what the focus should be," Scott said.
House Republicans, led by Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., caution Senate colleagues not to water down the legislation too heavily. They remain open to specific changes, especially those involving deeper spending reductions and deficit control, but seek to preserve key provisions like the rollback of green-energy subsidies and tightened Medicaid requirements.
"And I encouraged our Senate colleagues to think of this as a one-team effort, as we have, and to modify this as little as possible because it will make it easier for us to get it over the line, ultimately, and finished and get it to the president's desk by July 4," Johnson said Tuesday.
Gingrich made it clear that GOP senators have a responsibility to act.
"Because to vote no is voting for a giant tax increase. It's voting to cripple the government. It's voting to make it very difficult for President Trump to create the kind of America that he was voted to create," he said. "And frankly, it goes against the wishes of virtually every Republican who put the senators in office."
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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