As President Donald Trump's sweeping tax and domestic policy bill enters a critical stretch in the Senate, six Republican senators emerge as potential roadblocks to final passage, each raising concerns that could derail the legislation before a July 4 target date, The Hill reported.
Senate Republicans are bracing for a high-stakes showdown over Trump's top domestic priority — a sweeping tax and policy package that narrowly cleared the House and now faces intense scrutiny in the upper chamber.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has just a three-vote margin to pass the legislation, which aims to extend key tax provisions, overhaul Medicaid, and roll back energy tax incentives. However, several GOP senators — from moderates to staunch conservatives — are publicly airing concerns that could threaten the party's ability to send the bill to Trump's desk by Independence Day.
At the top of that list is Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, who has voiced worries about the feasibility of implementing Medicaid work requirements in Alaska, calling parts of the bill "very, very, very challenging if not impossible" due to outdated state systems. Murkowski is also concerned about the impact on tribal communities and the proposed elimination of wind, solar, and geothermal tax credits.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., has emerged as a surprising but vocal critic of any cuts to Medicaid, drawing a hard line on protecting the program. "We ought to just do what the president says," Hawley said last month, referring to Trump's instruction to "leave Medicaid alone." He recounted Trump telling him directly, "Don't touch it, Josh."
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, has consistently opposed cuts to Medicaid, citing the detrimental effect on Maine's rural hospitals. "Medicaid is a critically important program for Maine's health care system and a vital resource for many seniors, low-income families, disabled patients, and those who cannot work," Collins said. She voted against the GOP's budget resolution in April and joined Hawley in backing the same Medicaid amendment.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., is perhaps the most likely Republican to oppose the package, mainly over the bill's inclusion of a debt ceiling hike. "It's not conservative; I can't support it," Paul said. He insisted he might reconsider if the debt ceiling provision is removed but added that current spending cuts are "imperfect" and "wimpy."
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., has echoed Paul's fiscal concerns, criticizing the bill for increasing the deficit. "We need to be responsible, and the first goal of our budget reconciliation process should be to reduce the deficit," Johnson said, warning that conservatives may withhold support unless deeper spending reductions are made.
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., is focused on energy policy. He opposes the rapid repeal of tax credits for renewable energy, warning that the move would destabilize long-term investments and job creation in his state. "A wholesale repeal, or the termination of certain individual credits, would create uncertainty, jeopardizing capital allocation, long-term project planning, and job creation," Tillis wrote in a letter co-signed by Murkowski and Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah.
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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