It's a big week for Trump's 'big, beautiful bill'
For President Donald Trump, this week stands to be not only one of the most consequential of his presidency on the international stage, but also perhaps in domestic policy as well.
Much political attention has been focused in recent days on Trump's decision to strike nuclear sites in Iran. But on Capitol Hill, Republican leadership is still plowing ahead on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a massive piece of legislation jam-packed with many of Trump's policy objectives and campaign promises.
The bill would make the Trump 2017 tax cuts permanent, allocate additional funding for border security and the Department of Defense, scale back Medicaid and SNAP benefits, limit taxes on tips and overtime, change state and local tax caps, and do far more.
Republicans are hopeful the bill will head to the Senate floor this week with Trump's stated goal of having it on his desk by the Fourth of July. That's an ambitious timeline that makes this week a critical one.
In a Sunday social media post, Trump again called for Congress to act quickly to pass the bill.
"Great unity in the Republican Party, perhaps unity like we have never seen before. Now let's get the Great, Big, Beautiful Bill done. Our Country is doing GREAT. MAGA!" Trump posted.
Majority Leader John Thune said in an op-ed posted on Fox News Digital on Monday morning that he intends to keep the Senate going on the stated timeline.
"Senators return to Washington today and we will remain here until this bill is passed. We know that Democrats will fearmonger and misrepresent our efforts, and we expect them to drag this debate long into the night with unrelated issues. However, I am confident we will get this bill across the finish line," Thune wrote.
One of the reasons that this bill is so consequential for Trump's legacy is that Republicans are attempting to pass it using budget reconciliation, a procedure that allows them to sidestep Senate rules that normally require 60 votes to pass legislation and to instead pass the bill with a simple majority.
As a result, Republicans know this is their best, and, due to House Speaker Mike Johnson's incredibly tight majority, perhaps only shot at getting Trump's policy promises passed into law. That's why this bill is loaded up with priorities of GOP lawmakers and the Trump administration.
But there are rules that regulate what can be put into the bill. The Byrd Rule, named after the late Sen. Robert Byrd, requires that all provisions in a bill passed under reconciliation relate directly to the budget. If Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough rules that any of the proposed Republican provisions violate the rule, then Republicans will have to retool or strip them out, or risk subjecting the bill to the 60-vote threshold.
This review process is sometimes referred to in the Senate as the "Byrd Bath."
Monday could be one of the most critical reviews yet as MacDonough is set to begin consideration of the provisions in the Senate Finance Committee's jurisdiction. This is the portion of the bill that includes proposed changes to Medicaid, state and local taxes, and the 2017 tax permanence.
But the parliamentarian has been hard at work all weekend long. And she's already dealt Republicans a number of blows to key provisions in their package.
MacDonough on Friday told Republicans they could not include language that would zero out funding for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, finding it outside the rules. Other banking committee-related provisions were also struck.
She also struck a closely watched provision that would have required litigants to post a bond in order for federal courts to enforce nationwide preliminary injunctions or temporary restraining orders. Democrats were particularly keen on arguing against this provision which they saw as favoring Trump, who has made his displeasure over injunctions handed down by federal courts against some of his executive actions quite publicly known.
Republicans hoped to cut costs of the bill by implementing a new provision that would have required states to pick up some of the costs of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). But MacDonough found that provision also out of order, as well as one that would have prevented undocumented migrants from receiving assistance under the program.
In a win for many Republicans, however, MacDonough ruled that new SNAP work requirements for able-bodied individuals under 65 could stay in the bill.
She also ruled that proposed ban on state-level regulations of artificial intelligence could remain in the package.
Republicans will now attempt to retool their bill to make sure it doesn't run afoul of the rules while they wait for the parliamentarian to finish her scrub.
MacDonough must complete her work before Republicans can move forward on the Senate floor. Her rulings will be closely watched as the Senate aims to propel the legislation forward in the coming days.
After the parliamentarian finishes her work, if Thune is confident that the bill has the votes to pass in the Senate, he'll move it to the floor, where Democrats are expected to put up a lengthy fight in an all-night voting session called a vote-a-rama.
There's ultimately little Democrats will be able to do to stop the bill from passing if Republicans hang together.
If the Senate completes work on the bill, it will have to go back to the House, which narrowly passed its version of the bill a few weeks ago. Johnson faces an unruly conference and it'll be a heavy lift for him to get the bill completed and sent to Trump before July 4.
